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Bromo
 The
most popular and well known. of East Java's tourist attractions
is undoubtedly Mt Bromo. The pre-dawn departure and trek across
the mountain's 'sand sea' to watch the sun rise at the crater
rim has become something of a ritual, enacted daily by people
of every nationality.
Bromo is actually Just one crater in the vast, 800 km2 Tengger
massif, which forms the largest of East Java's five main volcanic
ranges. Although by no means the highest mountain in the region
(2392m), it has gained its reputation partly because of its unique
location and partly through the reverence shown to it by the
local inhabitants, the Tenggerese, who claim descent from a princess
of Majapahit. Isolated for centuries in the mountains, the Tenggerese
have remained loyal to the. old religion which, though basically
Hindu/Buddhist, reserves a special place for the god of Mt Bromo
(Brahma).
Each year, on the l 4th day of the Tenggerese month of Kasodo,
which falls in December, a special ceremony is held on the
edge of Bromo's active crater.Livestock and agricultural produce
are sacrificed to placate the spirit of the mountain and ensure
a bountiful harvest in the coming year. The Tenggerese believe
that failure to observe this annual ritual will result in disaster.
As it is, they are blessed with a cool climate and rich volcanic
soil which allows the cultivation of many types of fruit and
vegetable which are impossible to grow on the plains.There are
several ways to get to Mt Bromo. The well worn route is from
the north coastal town of Probolinggo, The road winds up into
the hills via Sukapura and ends at Ngadisari, one of the
largest of the 38 traditional Tenggerese villages. An alternative
route leads from Pasuruan via Wonokitri and Tosari to the summit
of Mt Penanjakan, which is rapidly becoming the favoured spot
to welcome the dawn.
As the sun rises, the early morning mist dissipates to reveal
a fantastic, almost lunar landscape. Two deeply furrowed volcanic
cones stand side by side on a vast, perfectly flat expanse of
sand 10 kilometres across. Bromo's crater is active, emitting
dense clouds of sulphureous steam. Reasonably quiescent at the
moment, the mountain has erupted three times this century at
fairly regular 30 year intervals. The last major eruption was
in 1974. Beside Bromo stands its dormant twin, Mt Batok, whose
sides rise in a perfect cone shape to a flat summit. The entire
plain is surrounded by steep cliffs, which form the rim of an
enormous caldera.
The southern part of the Tengger range is dominated by Mt Semeru,
named after the 'cosmic mountain' and abode of the gods of Hindu
mythology. Semeru was very active during the 19th century and
continues to send up a cloud of smoke at irregular intervals.
The Bromo/Semeru region is now a nature reserve containing a
rich variety of flora and fauna. There are a number of wild plants
here which are unique to the area and, according to a local botanist,
several more which are as yet uncatalogued. The range of wildlife,
too, is still not fully recorded, though a few species, such
as the wild pig, Timorese deer and muncak (barking deer) are
known to exist in considerable numbers. There are also leopards
and flying squirrels and the lake areas are home to a wide variety
, duck and waterfowl
The
smoking crater of Bromo
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Tenggerese
horsemen on the 'sand sea'
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