Sunday, September 12, 2010

MOUNT BROMO - EAST JAVA


Mount Bromo (Indonesian: Gunung Bromo), is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java, Indonesia. At 2,329 metres (7,641 ft) it is not the highest peak of the massif, but is the most well known. The massif area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.

Mount Bromo sits in the middle of a vast plain called the Sand Sea (Indonesian: Lautan Pasir), a protected nature reserve since 1919. The typical way to visit Mount Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang.

From there it is possible to walk to the volcano in about 45 minutes, but it is also possible to take an organised jeep tour, which includes a stop at the viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan (2,770 meters) (Indonesian: Gunung Penanjakan). The best views from Mount Bromo to the Sand Sea below and the surrounding volcanoes are at sunrise. The viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan can also be reached on foot in about two hours. From inside the caldera, sulfur is collected by workers.

On the fourteen day of the Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada, the Tenggerese people of Probolinggo, East Java, travel up the mountain in order to make offerings of fruit, rice, vegetables, flowers and sacrifices of livestock to the mountain gods by throwing them into the caldera of the volcano.

The origin of the ritual lies in the 15th century when a princess named Roro Anteng started the principality of Tengger with her husband, Joko Seger. However, the couple were childless and beseeched assistance from the mountain gods.

According to legend, gods granted them 24 children but stipulated that the 25th, named Kesuma, must be tossed into the volcano as a human sacrifice. The gods' request was implemented and the tradition of throwing sacrifices into the volcano to appease these ancient deities continues today. Nevertheless, some locals climb own into the crater and attempt, despite the danger, to collect the sacrificed goods in order to sustain their families.


From Wikipedia

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