Pelik: Bongkah Batu Berbentuk Muka Manusia

Between a rock and a hard face: Boulder with human features

• Boulder has been attracting scores of curious onlookers in Java
• It is believed to have been formed following the eruption of a volcano

By KERRY MCQUEENEY

For a rock with human qualities, this one's a little hard-faced.

The expression might be a little stony, but there's something captivating about this boulder.

This stone resembling a human face is proving to be quite the tourist attraction in Western Java, Indonesia.

Hard-faced: The curiously-shaped rock was found in the garden of a villager and is believed to have been formed following the eruption of Mount Guntur a few years ago

Crowd-pleaser: Children sit on the top of the rock-face at Pananjung Village in Garut, Indonesia

The boulder - complete with eyes, nose and mouth - has been attracting scores of curious villagers since it was discovered in Pananjung, Garut, Indonesia.

About two feet in size, the curiously-shaped rock was found in the garden of a villager and is believed to have been formed following the eruption of Mount Guntur a few years ago.

However, its unusual facial features were only discovered when a small pool was drained of its water and locals saw the uncanny resemblance to a human face.

Villagers have named the boulder the 'crying stone' because they say it looks like it is grieving.

While rocks of this appearance are not considered to be especially significant in local culture, it has been drawing many people to the region who want to see it for themselves.

Java's authorities now want to investigate the origins of the rock to ascertain whether it is a natural phenomenon or a remnant from an earlier culture which might have been wiped out in a volcanic eruption.

Stony expression: The boulder's unusual features were only discovered when a small pool was drained of its water and locals saw the uncanny resemblance to a human face

Slab: Authorities now want to investigate the origins of the rock to ascertain whether it is a natural phenomenon or a remnant from an earlier culture