Mount Bromo

Bromo ( fuming crater left) and Batok (right front). In the background Gunung Semeru.

The Bromo ( Gunung Bromo indon. ) is a stratovolcano on the Indonesian island of Java. The 2329 m high volcano is the youngest crater of the volcano Tengger massif, and one of the most active volcanoes on Java.

It is located in the National Park Bromo - Tengger - Semeru and is a popular tourist destination. During an outbreak, on June 8, 2004, two people died.

On 23 November 2010 a new eruption phase, a radius of 2 kilometers around the crater began has been temporarily disabled. The Malang is located nearby the airport was called to take extra care and to the inhabitants of the region dust masks were distributed.

A particularly popular viewpoint on the Bromo is the Gunung Penanjakan. The Semeru located behind the Bromo sent multiple times within an hour recurrently its small and sometimes larger eruptions.

The Bromo Tengger - massif is part of a volcanic chain extending along the Sunda arch. It involves a subduction zone volcanoes, which are caused by the lowering of the Indo- Australian plate under the Eurasian plate along the Sunda Trench. The rising magma in this process feeds the volcanoes of this volcanic chain, which extends from the Andaman Sumatra and Java to East Timor.

Mythological significance

According to a story founded together with her husband Joko Seger, a principality of his own at the end of the 15th century princess Roro Anteng of the Majapahit empire. They named it Tengger after the final syllables of their names. The principality prospered, but the ruling couple, it was not possible to produce offspring. So they climbed in their desperation to Bromo and prayed to the gods, they may assist them. This promised to help them, under the condition to sacrifice their last child born to the gods. They had 24 children and was born as the 25th and last child Kesuma, Roro Anteng refused to sacrifice her child as promised. The gods threatened with fire and brimstone, until she finally sacrificed the child yet. After it was thrown into the crater, the voice of the child ordered the local people holding an annual ceremony on the volcano. This Kassada called festival is still held. It mainly consists of a nightly procession to the summit, then where animals, fruits and rice to be sacrificed.