Indonesian Folktales Series: Gunung Bromo (Bromo mount)

Gunung Bromo (Bromo mount)

The natural beauty of Mount Bromo is undeniable, but who would have thought that behind this beauty are many little-known legends and historical stories closely related to the origin of the Indigenous "Tengger" tribe that lives around the slopes of Mount Bromo?

Mount Bromo is one of the active volcanoes that has become an international tourist destination in East Java. The natural beauty offered by Mount Bromo is, no doubt, why all tourists who have come to this place must admit that Mount Bromo is the most beautiful place to capture spectacular sunrise moments.

But behind this beauty, do you know that there are many legendary stories of Mount Bromo, which are believed to be hereditary by the surrounding community and closely related to the history of the origin of the Tengger tribe, who became the original inhabitants on the slopes of Mount Bromo?

Historically, Mount Bromo has erupted many times. The most devastating eruption took place in 1974. Although classified as an active volcano with a regular eruption cycle, this place is one of the tourist icons in East Java, most visited by tourists from various parts of the world.

For the residents around Bromo, this mountain is believed to be hereditary as a sacred mountain that holds many legends of the origin of Bromo related to the indigenous people around it, commonly referred to as the Tengger tribe. With its famous religious ceremonies, which can only be found in Bromo, is the Yadnya Kasada ceremony, which is annually commemorated in a temple building, "Luhur Poten," at the foot of Mount Bromo. The ceremony takes place from midnight to dawn and is held every full moon on the 14th and 15th of the Kasodo month of the old Javanese calendar.

The Tengger tribe is the indigenous people living around Mount Bromo who are still descendants of the Majapahit kingdom. At that time, there was a war in Majapahit. To save themselves, some of its citizens fled to the slopes of Mount Bromo and the island of Bali. Based on this history, there are many similarities between the Hindu communities of Tengger Bromo and Bali. The name of the Tengger tribe itself is derived from the names of the legendary figures Joko Seger and Roro Anteng.

The history of Tengger began around 1,115 AD or 1,037 Caka during the reign of the Kediri Kingdom, ruled by King Erlangga. At that time, there lived a rishi named Resi Musti Kundawa who had high magic because he possessed an heirloom called Kiai Gliyeng. After becoming a senopati, Musti Kundawa changed his name to Resi Kandang Dewa.

Resi Kandang Dewa had four children: Joko Lanang, Dewi Amisani, Joko Seger, and Dani Saka. Of his four sons, it was Joko Seger who inherited the knowledge and heirloom of Kiai Gliyeng from his father to become a warrior of choice.

During the Kediri Kingdom, there was a duchy, the Wengker Duchy (Ponorogo area), led by Adipati Surogoto.

Duke Surogoto had a beautiful daughter named Dewi Ratna Wulan. Unfortunately, Dewi Ratna suffered from a disease that did not heal from childhood to adulthood. Her father tried many things, but no one could cure his daughter.

Adipati Surogoto and all the people of the Wengker Duchy were saddened. Finally, Adipati Surogoto held a contest to cure his daughter. The news spread throughout Kediri.

The story of Joko Seger and Roro Anteng

Joko Seger is the son of a wise Brahmin, while Roro Anteng is a noble daughter of Majapahit descendants who is believed to be an incarnation of God with a beautiful face.

Joko Seger heard the news and decided to enter the competition. Joko Seger immediately got the Duke and then went to the square to meditate while he pinned the Kiai Gliyeng Heirloom. During his meditation, Joko Seger received a hint that Dewi Ratna Wulan could recover if given a potion made from pomegranates. Dewi Ratna's name must also be changed according to her illness. After his meditation, Joko Seger returned to the Kadipaten and carried out the instructions he had received. Dewi Ratna Wulan was cured after drinking Joko Seger's potion, and her name was changed to Loro Anteng.

Seeing his son healed, Adipati Surogoto was very happy, as were the people of Kadipaten Wengker. The duke finally fulfilled his promise to marry his daughter to Joko Senger. The duke performed an ancient ceremony, Tasyukuran, for the happiness of Joko Senger and Loro Anteng. To this day, the tradition of ancient ceremonies is still performed by the Tengger people.

For the wedding of Joko Segger and Dewi Loro Anteng, the Tawang Walagara or Tawang Padang ceremony was held, namely the offering of both parties. From the Kediri group, accompanied by soldiers and sword dancers, brought 12 sons and daughters, each carrying a bamboo stick filled with various kinds of crops and tied with coconut fiber.

While in the place of the bride and groom, various offerings are provided, including takir janur (coconut leaf pupus), gayung batok (coconut shells), pengaron (clay cooking utensils), and all the wedding equipment with various kinds of equipment and offerings. The Sodor dance performed by the groom is called Sodoran; then, to strengthen the kinship between the two families, Joko Seger and Roro Anteng and their relatives are required to visit each other, which is now called Dederek.

After this, Joko Seger and Roro Anteng, as newlyweds, must perform the Nyadran ceremony (going to the grave of a deceased family member to ask for blessings). After the Tawang Walagara, Dederek, and Nyadran ceremonies, the ceremony is concluded with the Bawaha (Closing) Ceremony. Then Joko Seger and Roro Anteng became a legitimate married couple and were ready to navigate their own household.

After navigating the household ark as a married couple, they did not escape life's problems and trials. One of them is not having offspring. After a year of not having offspring, they finally agreed to meditate in the Pamujan Studio.

In the séance, they received some instructions saying that they had made a mistake that caused them not to be blessed with children. To make amends, they must perform a Sepasar salvation ceremony in the month of Mengestin, perform Sadulur Papat for five bodies, perform Sesuci, and perform Reject Brata for 40 days and 40 nights (from these instructions, all the ceremonies performed by Joko Seger and Roro Anteng became the beginning of the performance of the traditional ceremony of Pujan Kapat to Megeng Dukun in the month of Kapitu, where the shamans performed Reject Brata for self-purification and refined their mantras until Pujan).

At the rejection brata, Joko Seger and Roro Anteng were given instructions: if they wanted to have offspring, they had to meditate on a fog-shrouded mountain in the Oro-Oro Ombo area, which Joko Seger later named Mount Bromo. After coming down from the meditation, they immediately made preparations to travel east until they reached the wilderness. Since it was already night, they stayed in the forest; they took shelter under a shady tree. Suddenly, a lion and a monkey attacked them. With the power of Kyai Gliyang's heirloom, the two animals became tame, and the area was named Ludaya.

Their journey continued, and they were stopped by a wild tiger. There was a fight between Joko Seger and the tiger until Joko Seger finally defeated the tiger, and by Joko Seger, the area was named Gembong (the name Gembong is the origin of Pasuruan, derived from the name of the Gembong tiger). Then they continued their journey eastward; at the hamlet of Grati, they continued their journey until they came to a place. They both smelled an unpleasant odor, and then the area was named Banger (which means unpleasant in the Javanese language). Banger is the forerunner of the Probolinggo area.

On the way, they saw a very high mountain. The eruption could be heard throughout the region; the mountain was called Mount Songgolangit or Puncak Pesangit (Mount Semeru, the highest mountain in Java). After a month of traveling, they arrived in the month of Pandrawan. Joko Seger and Roro Anteng climbed up and came to the Belantara Forest. They were surprised by the existence of the banana tree and named the banana tree "Tuwuhan," and the area was called Jurang Pengantin.

Then they went up and saw a forest covered with small trees like tobacco; the area was called Pomahan Bako. They reached the top of the hill around midnight. They saw a crowd of people carrying torches. However, when they got closer, it turned out that there were only rocks on the water reflecting the moonlight, so it looked like many people were carrying torches. The area was called Watu Kutho (City Stone).

At midnight, they saw the Oro-Oro Ombo area and immediately prepared to meditate. After a very long journey and many obstacles, Joko Seger and Roro Anteng arrived at Oro-Oro Ombo. As the Wangsit said, they meditated.

Their meditation was not in vain - they both heard a supernatural voice coming from the mountain in Oro-Oro Ombo. That they had passed the test and performed Lelaku to ask for offspring. Therefore, they were blessed with 25 children within 44 years. However, some conditions must be fulfilled by both of them. They had to give up the last child living on Mount Bromo. After receiving instructions from Betara Bromo, they returned to the Wenker Duchy.

After a period of 16 years, Joko Seger and Roro Anteng were blessed with 9 children named Joko Ringgit, Dewi Sinta Wiji, Joko Klinting, Hadi Kawit, Dewi Jasingjihah, I Chal, Joko Linggapati, Cokroaminoto, and Tunggul Wulung. At the time of the birth of the ninth child, there was suddenly very heavy rain, dark clouds, and spitting satyrs. Seeing this, Joko Seger immediately meditated to seek guidance from the Almighty.

During his meditation, Joko Seger received a clue that he had made a mistake for 16 years because he and his family had never visited Mount Bromo. To make up for his mistake, Joko Seger must perform Numi Purwodan and Tuwah Ongkek at the crater of Mount Bromo.

After about 20 years of age, Joko Ringgit (the first child), they were blessed with 6 children named Joko Penojati, Joko Bagus Wads, Joko Banu Rekso, Pranoto, Praniti, and Tunggul Ametung. At the time of the birth of the 15th child, something strange happened. The baby conceived by Roro Anteng could not come out for 3 days.

Seeing this curiosity, Joko Seger again held a meditation to receive the greatest guidance. In his meditation, Joko Seger was visited by Batara Narada, who gave instructions for Joko Seger to keep his promise by telling his adult children to meditate on the slopes of Mount Bromo. Then Joko Seger carried out Batara's order for his children to meditate on Mount Bromo.

Joko Ringgit meditated on Mount Lawu and Mount Ringgit; Dewi Sinta Wiji meditated on Mount Sewu, Telaga Cakra, and Mount Mindangan; Joko Klinting meditated on Mount Puncak Tengking; Hadi Kawit meditated on Lake Sumber Semanik in search of dolls; Dewi Jasing Jihan meditated on Mount Kursi; I Chal was lost in the womb and resided in Banyuated Jurang Peranten; Joko Linggopati meditated in Linggobuana Gunung Lingga; Cakroaminoto meditated in Indrakila Gunung Gendera; Tunggul Wulung meditated at the entrance of Mount Bromo; and Joko Penojati commanded his children to give birth to a baby in the womb of Roro Anteng.

In about 32 years, Dewi Roro Anteng gave birth to her 16th to 23rd children, Raden Mesigit, Puspo, Angin, Hadi Jengkat, Hadiningrat, and Hadi Kesuma. According to the agreement made during the meditation at Oro-Oro Ombo, the 25th child was taken by a burning fire to Mount Bromo.

As new knowledge for tourists who will visit Bromo, here are some important things you should know, including:

hereditary beliefs The Tengger tribe as the original community living around Mount Bromo are still descendants of the Majapahit kingdom who at that time went to save themselves from war.
The name Bromo comes from the name of the main god in Hinduism, Brahma. In the Tengger language, it is spelled “Brama”, also called the Tengger Caldera.
Rara Anteng and Joko Seger are the married couple of the main story's characters. Kusuma is the son of Joko Seger and Rara Anteng. Bajak is a powerful ascetic giant who once proposed to Rara Anteng.
Only around the slopes of Mount Bromo are scattered the areas of Ngadas village, Malang, Cemara Lawang village,,e Probolinggo, and Wonokitri village, Pasuruan.
As new knowledge for tourists who will visit Bromo, here is some important information you should know, including
The Tengger tribe, as the original community living around Mt. Bromo, are still descendants of the Majapahit kingdom who went there to save themselves from war.
The name Bromo comes from the name of the main god of Hinduism, Brahma. In the Tengger language, it is written as "Brama", also called Tengger Caldera.
Rara Anteng and Joko Seger are the married couple of the main character. Kusuma is the son of Joko Seger and Rara Anteng; Bajak is a powerful ascetic giant who once proposed marriage to Rara Anteng.
The Tengger tribe is found only around the slopes of Mount Bromo, which is spread in the area of Ngadas village in Malang, Cemara Lawang village in Probolinggo, and Wonokitri village in Pasuruan.
The religion practiced by the Tengger tribe is Hinduism because they are still descendants of the Majapahit kingdom.