History and Legend of Mount Bromo East Java Indonesia
History and Legend of Mount Bromo. Bromo is a popular natural tourist spot in East Java, even though its status is still active, but many tourists from all over the world come to witness firsthand the beauty of the mountain in the area Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.
You need to know, behind the beauty that Bromo has there is a history and legend that is believed to be passed down from generation to generation by the Tengger people who are the original inhabitants of the Bromo area.
History and Legend of Mount Bromo
Mount Bromo which is believed to be a sacred mountain has a history and legend that began when a king from the Majapahit kingdom and his followers fled their country due to attacks from various regions, until finally they were separated into 2 parts, some of which headed to the island of Bali and partly towards the slopes of Mount Bromo. Until now these two places have in common that they both adhere to Hindu religious beliefs.
The King of Majapahit then built a hamlet on the slopes of Mount Bromo with his loyal followers. In his new residence, the wife of the king of Majapahit gave birth to a baby girl, the baby she wanted was finally born into the world during a pitch black night. But unlike most other babies, the baby girl didn’t cry and looked so calm. In the end, the happy husband and wife named their baby “Roro Anteng”, which means a quiet and calm woman.
In another place, at a hermitage not far from Roro Anteng’s house, the wife of a Brahmin or priest also gave birth to a baby boy who cried very loudly and broke the silence of the night in Bromo. The baby looked healthy and fit and his parents then gave him the name “Joko Seger” which means a man who has a strong and healthy body.
Over time Joko Seger grew into a handsome and dashing young man, while Roro Anteng grew into a beautiful girl. Roro Anteng’s beauty spread to all corners and became the idol of many youths. Lots of young men came to propose to Roro Anteng, however, none of them were accepted. Apparently the beautiful princess was in love with Joko Seger.
The Legend of the Emergence of Mount Batok
One day, Roro Anteng’s beauty reached the ears of a powerful and cruel hermit in the form of a giant who lived in the forest around the slopes of Bromo named Kyai Bima. When he heard this, Kyai Bima immediately came to propose to Roro Anteng and threatened that if his application was rejected, he would destroy the hamlet and all its contents.
Because she was worried about Kyai Bima’s threat, Roro Anteng finally found a way to politely refuse the proposal, namely by submitting conditions to Kyai Bima, namely to make a lake on top of Mount Bromo and it had to be finished overnight before sunrise.
The giant magic mandraguna agreed while laughing out loud because Roro Anteng’s request was so easy for him, finally, without lingering any longer, he immediately started working on it.
Roro Anteng was very afraid that this condition would succeed. In the end, he intended to fulfill it by inviting the men in his village to burn straw on the eastern horizon so that the roosters would soon crow and the women would be ordered to pound rice in a mortar.
Kyai Bima was very upset to hear the rooster crowing and felt he had failed to meet the requirements to marry Roro Anteng, then the coconut shell that he used to make a lake on the mountain was simply thrown to the ground and it became Mount Batok.
Legend of the Tengger Tribe
After the problem with Kyai Bima was over, Roro Anteng married Joko Seger and they lived happily and peacefully on the slopes of Mount Bromo.
Based on history, the name of the tengger tribe comes from the initial syllables of the two couple’s names, namely Anteng (Teng) and Seger (Ger) which are then merged to become Tengger.
After many years the husband and wife had not been blessed with offspring, then they both decided to meditate on Mount Bromo in the hope that Sang Hyang Widi would soon be given offspring, they also vowed to sacrifice their last offspring into the Bromo crater.
The Origin of the Kasada Bromo Ceremony
Finally, as time went on, the husband and wife were blessed with 25 children and their last son was named Joko Kusuma who was handsome, firm and brave.
One night Joko Seger dreamed of being reprimanded by the god for keeping his promise to sacrifice his youngest son as an offering in the Bromo crater, otherwise the gods would bring disaster and havoc. Then Joko Seger told the dream to Jaka Kusuma then wisely the son was willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of his family and citizens.
Then during the full moon on the 14th of the Kasada month, Jaka Kusuma threw himself into the Bromo crater while saying, “Give me the produce of the fields every 14th of the Kasada month.” Since then, every year the indigenous people of the Bromo mountain slopes, the Tengger tribe, hold events bromo casada ritual.
For those of you who want to see direct physical evidence of the history of Mount Bromo and the Tengger tribe as well as places told in legends, please book bromo tour package With the aim of exploring the entire Bromo area, if you have questions about other tour packages, please contact us
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