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Plered Ceramics Village

Plered is one of the districts in Purwakarta regency in West Java that also includes the old towns of Cirata, Gandasoli and Citalang. The history of Plered has always been associated with ceramics and dates back to the Neolithic period when people used to visit the Cirata area along the Citarum River. Archeological excavations around Cirata revealed artifacts that have included stones, square shaped axes, farming tools, clay pots and a panjunan (or ajun), a ceramics workshop.

The name Plered is attributed to several different sources. One dates back to the period of forced planting when the area was known for its coffee plantations. Local people had to transport coffee with small carts pulled by buffalo. The cart was called Palered and was made entirely from wood planks. This sturdy cart had to be sufficiently rugged to go through muddy roads. The transportation of coffee to Jatiluhur and Bandung was then followed by the use of rafts along the Citarum River to transport the coffee beans all the way to Tanjung Priok harbor in Jakarta.

Today there are about 264 home industries employing over 3,000 workers. Plered's ceramics have been exported to many countries including Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States of America as well as various countries in South America and the Middle East.

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