Tracing The Charm Of West Java Cloth And Batik Through The 2025 Wastra Tourism

JAKARTA - The beauty of West Java's fabrics and batik has long been an important part of the cultural heritage of the archipelago. Each region in this region has patterns and colors that reflect nature, customs, and character of its people ranging from the bright feel of Cirebon Batik to the grace of Garut Batik motifs.

In an effort to preserve and introduce this uniqueness, the Wastraprema Association is again holding an annual event entitled Wisata Wastra, which this time focuses on the beauty of Tatar Sundanese wastra.

The event which took place on October 29'30, 2025 in Bandung and Garut presented a variety of activities, ranging from cultural discussions to visits to centers of batik craftsmen.

A total of 35 participants from various wastra lovers community participated, presenting the General Chairperson of the Wastraprema Association Sri Sintasari Iskandar (Neneng Iskandar) and the Daily Chair of the West Java Batik Foundation, Dr. Komarudin Kudiya, as the main resource person.

In his presentation, Sri Sintasari Iskandar explained that the tradition of batik in West Java has developed since the 12th century.

"The people of Priangan have known various batik ornaments since the time of the kingdom. The batik culture in West Java was brought by the people of Central Java in the era of the Mataram Kingdom," Sri said as quoted by ANTARA.

He added that each region in West Java has its own characteristics, such as Batik Cirebon with the motifs of Mega Mendung, Batik Indramayu (Dermayon) which is thick with the influence of Chinese culture, as well as Batik Kuningan and Batik Ciamis with a pattern that emphasizes local elements.

According to Sri, the main strength of West Java's batik lies in its bright and dynamic colors, reflecting the natural beauty and spirit of the community.

"West Java batik is Adi Luhung's work which is no less beautiful than batik from other regions in Indonesia," he said.

Meanwhile, in the session with the theme Gumading Priangan: The Light from Batik Garutan', Dr. Komarudin Kudiya reviewed the characteristics of Batik Garut, which is known to be simple but meaningful.

"The Garutan batik is based on the cover bag technique, with a variety of flora and fauna ornaments such asows that become icons. The platform's motif symbolizes joy, dignity, and the spirit of victory," he said.

Sri Sintasari also emphasized that the Wastra Tourism activity was held as a form of direct education to the public to better understand the processes, art values, and philosophy behind each traditional cloth sheet.

"Through Wastra Tourism, we want to provide direct education by visiting craftsmen and seeing the process of making batik in the regions," he said.

In addition to cultural discussions, this activity also involves MSMEs of local batik and weaving craftsmen from various regions in West Java. The participants had the opportunity to see firsthand the production process, interact with the craftsmen, as well as get to know more closely the meaning contained in each motive.

Through this activity, Wastraprema hopes that the heritage of wastra Nusantara will continue to be sustainable and become the pride of the people of West Java and Indonesia as a whole.