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MOUNT BANAHAW
LOCATION: Quezon (Dolores, Lukban, Sariaya,
Lucena, Tiaong, Candelaria, Tayabas) and Laguna (San Pablo,
Maajyjay, Liliw, Nagcarlan)
ELEVATION: 2450 meters above sea level
LEVEL: Major Climb, Level III, Strenuous
JUMP-OFF POINTS: Kinabuhayan, Bgy Sta Lucia,
Dolores & Tayabas, Quezon
INFORMATION:
It is said that Mt. Banahaw keeps away those who are not
yet ready to receive its secrets. Rising some 2450 meters
from sea level, this active volcano, a part of the Banahaw-Cristobal
National Park, has long been believed to be a storehouse of
psychic energy. The local residents considers it a sacred
mountain. It teems with legends and superstitions. It has
been the home to countless members of religious cults, hermits,
soul searchers, spiritist and faith healers who climbs its
slopes to meditate in it’s cave and commune with the
mountain spirits. It clearly shows the other side of Filipino
fanaticism and superstitious ways. Being in Banahaw is something
like stepping into incredible stories of apparitions, heavenly
voices, strange sounds, dwarves, fairies and even UFO’s.
Geographically, Banahaw stands on a power point where the
key lines of the earth intersect.Wherever such latitudes and
longitudes meet, they create energy fields that allow higher
frequencies of perception, physiological or otherwise. Banahaw
is one of those rare fields just like Lourdes in France, Sedona
in Arizona, Bali in Indonesia and Ayers Rock in Australia,
to name a few. People living in the foot of the mountain speaks
of apparitions of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and
even Dr. Jose P. Rizal and other national heroes.
An old legend has it that a hermit living near Banahaw once
had a vision that it was to become the New Jerusalem. Appropriately,
the names of all topographical features had been given names
with biblical allusions, Kinabuhayan, Dolores, Santo Kalbaryo,
Kweba ng Dios Ama and the famous Jacob’s Well to name
a few. During Holy Week, pilgrims ascend to the crater rim
peaks called Durungawan to relieve the passion and death of
Jesus Christ. There, three crosses have been strategically
planted to recreate the actual crucifixion scene. On Good
Friday, however, the summit should be deserted, as the mystics
believe that only God the Father may bear witness to His Son’s
death. It is also said that on the same day, an enkanto (spirit)
opens a hidden cave near the crosses, which acts as the pathway
to the nether world. Anyone left on the summit will be compelled
to enter it and never return. Mt. Banahaw is a silent eloquent
towering refuge. It forces the visitor to see beyond, if only
momentarily, his/her superfluous needs. For an instant, even
the most jaded traveler becomes pure of heart and for that
alone, a climb up the mountain is well worth it.
Banahaw is located 100 kilometers southeast of Manila. It
is the highest peak among a series of mountains and is surrounded
by the towns of San Pablo, Majayjay, Liliw, Nagcarlan, Tiaong,
Candelaria, Sariaya, Lucena, Tayabas and Lucban. Being an
active volcano, its last recorded eruption was on 1721. That
eruption caused a lake to form on the volcano’s crater
which may have caused the crater to burst open during a possible
eruption of 1743, though geographer Fr. Huerta mentioned in
his Estado Geographica that it happened sometime 1730. The
crater today is called ilalim. It also resulted the transfer
of the town of Sariaya to its fourth and present site. In
the 19th century Banahaw was called Monte de Majayjay or Monte
San Cristobal which was then considered the "gateway"
in ascending the mountain. It was also called "Vulcan
de Agua" because of the numerous springs that flows from
the base. The present name Banahaw might have been derived
from the word Ban-aw which means a vantage point to a lofty
position.
LEGENDS:
A legend has it that because of the turmoil in the Middle
East in a not too distant past, the four Archangels transferred
the Holy Land to Mt. Banahaw. In the 16th century, a legend
said that a Chinese cutter, Juan Ynbin, who’s body dismembered
by the Spaniards and thrown to the sea as a result of a revolt
against forced labor during the construction of the shrine
of Caysasay came back to life. He claimed that a beautiful
woman saved him from the sea and placed him on a leaf that
carried him to Majayjay within the view of Banahaw. Another
legend says that somewhere in between 1886 and 1939, a Holy
Voice or Santong Boses, dictated the locations of the holy
places in Banahaw which also gave the names to these places.
It was given to one of the famous mystics of Banahaw, Agripino
Lontoc from Taal Batangas who hid in the mountains from the
Spaniards who branded him as a rebel. He also went into the
mountains to seek for amulets. The story goes that every time
he tried to leave the mountain, he would go blind and this
forced him to stay in Banahaw to become one of it’s
first hermits. Banahaw was also the headquarter of a group
of dissidents headed by the famous local hero, Apolinario
de la Cruz or Hermano Pule sometime in 1840-43. He was the
person who named places such as Jacob and Kalbaryo. In an
offensive against Pule, he and his wife was killed wherein
his head, stucked to a pole, was displayed at the road to
Tayabas to warn all rebels. Pule promised to return as the
Santong Boses.
One of the Banahaw legends talks about a family- Lukban and
Bayabas- the parent to Limbas. This was during the time when
most places in the region has no name yet particularly the
mountains. Limbas is a well know young man who is strong and
agile. When he goes into the mountain, he usually comes back
with the best catch- wild boar, deer and different kinds of
birds. His fame grew and his parent became proud of him. But
one day, he wandered into the mountains and he never returned.
His parents became worried of what might have happened to
him. On the seventh day, he returned and he told his parents
what had happened. Limbas met a old man who be-friend him.
He took him up the summit of the mountain which was the abode
of the old man. He was rich and he has many mystical things
with him. All animals in the summit have white hair. He even
have a carriage drawn by white horses which can take you all
around the country. He also have a vast Anahaw plantation.
He was good to Limbas and before he sent him home he gave
him the finest clothes and foods with the warning that he
should always kiss the hands of his parents the first thing
everytime he went home.
Limbas' trip to the mountain became frequent and his parents
became happy for the goods he brought home with him. The old
man have also grew pond of Limbas. One day while with Limbas,
the old man gave him a heavier sack, compared to the previous
ones he got, to bring back home. On the way down, Limbas became
curious and inspected the contents of the sack. He found out
that it was gold ! He hurriedly went home excited. Upon reaching
their house, he shouted, "we're rich ! we're rich !"
and he immediately poured the sack with gold. But surprisingly,
the contents were just Anahaw nuts. In surprise, he shouted
Ba ! Anahaw !, Ba ! Anahaw ! He remembered that he did not
kissed the hand of his parents, before anything else, which
may have caused the curse.
From then on, he never set foot on the mountain and in disgust,
people often hear from his mouth, Ba-Anahaw which in the passing
of time was shortened to Banahaw. The people started to call
that mountain Banahaw. And because of the popularity of the
incident, the names of some places where also taken from the
story like Lukban and Taybas towns which got its name from
Limbas' parents.
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