DENDAM TAK SUDAH LAKE

Danau Dendam Tak Sudah, can be translate with Never Ending Revenge lake is one of famous destinations in Bengkulu. This lake is settle in Dusun Besar village, Singaran Pati sub-district, Bengkulu and has an area of 557 and 67 hectare wide. The lake thought to have formed from volcanic activity in the area. By located in the strategic importance, in 1936 this lake was established as a nature reserve with an area of 11.5 hectares by the Dutch government. Then, in 1979, this nature reserve area has been expanded to 430 hectares. In 1999 this nature reserve area was expanded to 577 hectares.

As to the somewhat sinister name, there are two versions to the story. The first one tells the legend of a young couple whose love was not blessed by both their parents. The pair of lovers was then said to succumb to depression and eventually took their own life by plunging into the lake. Taking their grudge to the afterlife, their action would later give the lake its legendary name.

The second version is believed to have occurred during the Dutch Colonial period. It is said that during that particular time, the Dutch Colonial Government decided to build a dam in the lake to prevent water from flooding, and then build roads along the lake. Somehow, the project was never completed, thus the name “Unfinished Dam” was widely used. From the “Unfinished Dam” or “Dam tak Sudah” over time this would evolve into “Dendam Tak Sudah”.