Looking At The History Of Mount Merapi On The Borders Of Central Java And DIY

Illustration of Mount Merapi on the border of Central Java-DIY (Photo: Pixabay)

YOGYAKARTA In this article, the history of Mount Merapi, an active volcano located on the border between the province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) will be discussed.

Please note, Mount Merapi has a number of myths that are believed by the community from generation to generation. These myths accompany the history of the existence of Mount Merapi until now.

One of the myths about the origin of Mount Merapi is the balance of Java Island.

In a book entitled Handling Merapi Land After The Eruption Between Blessings and Disasters (2019) by Beny Harjadi et al, Mount Merapi was created to balance the mountains in West Java, because Java Island is believed to be tilted to the west and partially submerged. The construction of Mount Merapi was carried out by moving a mountain to the middle of Java Island.

The mountain that was moved was Mount Muwardipa. This mountain is inhabited by two keris makers, namely Empu Permadi and Empu Rama. The empus allowed the mountain to be moved by the gods when the keris that it made on the top of the mountain had been completed.

However, the gods were impatient so that when the keris was only half finished, the mountains and keris were moved by the gods to the middle of Java Island. So that the furnace of the fire became the caldera that emitted the fire continuously. If the water level wobbles, there will be an eruption.

Because the furnace continues to emit fires and always emits lava, the mountain is referred to as Mount Merapi.

Apart from the myths circulating, how is the history of Mount Merapi?

In a publication entitled History of the Eruption of Mount Merapi and its Impact on the Borobudur area, the results of the stratographic research show the beginning of the formation of Mount Merapi.

According to research in 2000, Mount Merapi was formed in 4 periods, namely Pra Merapi, Merapi Tua, Merapi Tengah, and Merapi Baru. The full explanation is as follows.

Mount as high as 2,930 meters above sea level was recorded as having depleted 68 times and has always been a threat to people living on the slopes of Mount Merapi.

The following are some of the eruption events or eruptions of Mount Merapi recorded in history:

This is information about the history of Mount Merapi, which is located on the border of Central Java and Yogyakarta. Hopefully this article can add insight to the loyal readers of VOI.ID.