ꦮꦺꦴꦁꦡꦼꦁꦒꦼꦂ / ꦠꦶꦪꦁꦡꦼꦁꦒꦼꦂ / ꦥꦿꦶꦪꦤ꧀ꦠꦸꦤ꧀ꦡꦼꦁꦒꦼꦂ Wång Thěnggěr / Tiyang Thěnggěr / Priyantun Thěnggěr | |
---|---|
Total population | |
500,000 (2010) [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Indonesia (East Java) Their population is concentrated in mountain region of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (East Java) that including regency of: Contents | |
Languages | |
native Javanese language (Tenggerese dialect), also Indonesian language | |
Religion | |
Predominantly Javanese Hinduism, small minority of Sunni Islam, and Christianity (Protestant) [3] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Javanese sub-ethnic such as Mataram, Cirebonese, Osing, Boyanese, Samin, Banyumasan, etc. [4] |
The Tenggerese people [a] are a sub-ethnic group of Javanese in eastern Java who. Their population of roughly 500,000 in 2010 [8] is centered in the isolated Tengger mountains (Mount Bromo) in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in eastern Java. Majority of Tenggerese population profess Java Hinduism as their religion. The Tenggerese people are the only Javanese ethnic group who have remained Hindu since the Majapahit era after the Osing people which has been Islamized.
Scattered communities of Tenggerese also exist in the Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Malang, and Lumajang Regencies of eastern Java. They are traditionally believed to be the descendants of legendary Roro Anteng and Joko Seger. [9] The Tenggerese are considered an ethnic sub-group of the Javanese people.
Before the 15th century, the Tenggerese people was closely linked with the Majapahit and other kingdoms. According to legend, Jaka Seger and Roro Anteng are the ancestors of the Tenggerese. [10]
The Tenggerese speak an archaic Javanese (Majapahit) dialect called Tengger Javanese. Elements of modern Javanese influences can be heard in their speech. They have their own written Kawi script based on the old Javanese Brahmi type. [11]
Majority of Tenggerese population profess Java Hinduism as their religion, [12] although they have incorporated Buddhist and Animist elements. [13] Like the Balinese, they worship Ida Sang Hyang Widi Wasa (roughly "Big Almighty Lord") for blessings in addition to other Hindu and Buddhist deities that include the Tri Murti (Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu) and Buddha. [14] Their places of worship include the Punden, Poten and Danyang. The Poten is a sacred area of ground at Mount Bromo's sand sea and becomes the focus of the annual Kasada Ceremony. In the Poten, it contains several buildings and enclosures, arranged in a specific composition called the Mandalas (zones). [15]
The Tenggerese also worship a host of spirits (ancestor worship). They include cikal bakal, the spirits of the founders of the village, the roh bahurekso, the village guardian spirits and the roh leluhur, the spirits of the ancestors. Rituals to propitiate these spirits are conducted by special priests. During these rites small doll-like figures representing the spirits are clothed in batik cloth and are presented with food and drink. It is believed that the spirits partake of the essence of these offerings. The Bromo volcano is considered one of the most sacred places. If it erupts, they believe that their god is very angry. [16]
The Tenggerese give food offerings to the gods. [17]
The priests are called Dukun or Resi Pujangga; they play a middle role in their religious worship. They are believed to possess spiritual knowledge of the gods and the spirits called Ilmu, which they carefully guard from ordinary Tenggers. Priesthood is hereditary and generally passes down from father to son. [18] Each village has only one of these priests, with three assistants — Legen, Sepuh, and Dandan. [19]
In the past few decades, due to overpopulation in Madura, many Madurese settlers exploited the Tenggerese land by clearing some of their nature reserves and converting 2-3% (up to 10,000) of the Tenggerese to Islam in the process — particularly those in the more accessible areas in the lowlands just outside the Tengger range. Because of this Islamic missionary activity, the remaining Hindu Tenggerese asked the Balinese Hindus for help by reforming their culture and religion closer to the Balinese. The Indonesian government declared the Tengger mountains as the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru national park and declared that any more logging in this area is an illegal act, therefore protecting the Tenggerese from further disruption. [20]
The Tenggerese are basically either agriculturalists or nomadic herders. The agriculturalists generally live on the lower altitudes, while the nomads live on the higher altitudes, riding on small horses. [21]
The main festival of the Tenggerese is the Yadnya Kasada, which lasts about a month. On the 14th day of the Kasada, the Tenggerese go to Poten Bromo and ask for blessing from the main deity Hyang Widi Wasa and Mahadeva, the God of the Mountain (Mount Semeru), by offerings rice, fruit, vegetables, flowers, livestock and other local produce. [22] They also see the examination of the medicine men memorizing prayers. The medicine man who passes the exam is chosen to be the spiritual leader of the Tengger tribe.
The origin of this festival is a legend that dates back to the Majapahit kingdom, during the reign of King Brawijaya; the queen of the kingdom gave birth to a daughter named Roro Anteng, who married Jaka Seger, a young man from the Brahmin caste. [23]
According to the legend, Roro Anteng and Jaka Seger were among many others who fled from the tattering Majapahit kingdom during the 15th century, when the declining kingdom was in the brink of collapse while the rapid spread of Islam in Java has begun. The couple and their followers later settled in the Tengger mountains and ruled the region jointly under the title Purbawisesa Mangkurat Ing Tengger. Tradition holds belief that they are ancestors of modern Tengger people.
For a few years the Tenggerese people flourished under the leadership of Jaka Seger and Roro Anteng, yet the king and queen were unhappy for they had no children. Desperate, they climbed to the top of Mount Bromo and prayed for help. Deeply moved by the couple's depth faith, the god of Mount Bromo assured them of offspring but with the condition that the youngest child be sacrificed in the crater of the volcano. After giving birth to 25 children, the time came for Roro Anteng to fulfill her part of the pledge. Though reluctant, they were threatened with catastrophe, forcing them to fulfill their pledge and comply with the god's wishes. They had no choice but to sacrifice their 25th child, Kesuma, by throwing him into the crater. In an alternate story, Kesuma was taken and consumed by the fire arising from the crater when he was about to flee from Mount Bromo. The Tengger people then started to commemorate this festival.
Hinduism in Southeast Asia had a profound impact on the region's cultural development and its history. As the Indic scripts were introduced from the Indian subcontinent, people of Southeast Asia entered the historical period by producing their earliest inscriptions around the 1st to 5th century CE. Today, Hindus in Southeast Asia are mainly Overseas Indians and Balinese. There are also Javanese and Balamon Cham minority in Cambodia and south central Vietnam who also practice Hinduism.
East Java is a province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern and southern coasts, respectively, while the narrow Bali Strait to the east separates Java from Bali by around 2.29 kilometres (1.42 mi). Located in eastern Java, the province also includes the island of Madura, as well as the Kangean islands and other smaller island groups located further east and the Masalembu archipelago to the north. Its capital is Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia, a major industrial center and also a major business center. Banyuwangi is the largest regency in East Java and the largest on the island of Java.
The Bromo, or Mount Bromo is an active somma volcano, a Hindu pilgrimage site, and part of the Tengger mountains, in East Java, Indonesia. At 2,329 meters (7,641 ft) it is not the highest peak of the massif, but is the most active and famous. The area is one of the most visited tourist destinations in East Java, and the volcano is included in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name Bromo comes from the Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. At the mouth of the crater, there is an idol of Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom which is being worshipped by the Javanese Hindus. Mount Bromo is located in the middle of a plain called "Sea of Sand", a nature reserve that has been protected since 1919.
Hinduism has historically been a major religious and cultural influence in Java, Indonesia. Hinduism was the dominant religion in the region before the arrival of Islam. In recent years, it has also been enjoying something of a resurgence, particularly in the eastern part of the island.
Tengger may refer to:
Hinduism is the third-largest religion in Indonesia, based on civil registration data in 2023 from Ministry of Home Affairs, is practised by about 1.68% of the total population, and almost 87% of the population in Bali. Hinduism was the dominant religion in the country before the arrival of Islam and is one of the six official religions of Indonesia today. Hinduism came to Indonesia in the 1st-century through Indian traders, sailors, scholars and priests. A syncretic fusion of pre-existing Javanese folk religion, culture and Hindu ideas, that from the 6th-century also synthesized Buddhist ideas as well, evolved as the Indonesian version of Hinduism. These ideas continued to develop during the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires. About 1400 CE, these kingdoms were introduced to Islam from coast-based Muslim traders, and thereafter Hinduism, which was previously the dominant religion in the region, mostly vanished from many of the islands of Indonesia.
The Semeru, or Mount Semeru is an active volcano located in East Java, Indonesia. It is located in a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian plate subducts under the Eurasia plate. It is the highest mountain on the island of Java. The name "Semeru" is derived from Meru, the central world mountain in Hinduism, or Sumeru, the abode of gods. This stratovolcano is Mahameru, meaning "The Great Mountain" in Sanskrit. It is one of the more popular hiking destinations in Indonesia.
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is a national park located in East Java, Indonesia, to the east of Malang and Lumajang, to the south of Pasuruan and Probolinggo, and to the southeast of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. It is the only conservation area in Indonesia that has a sand sea, the Tengger Sand Sea, across which is the caldera of an ancient volcano (Tengger) from which four new volcanic cones have emerged. This unique feature covers a total area of 5,250 hectares at an altitude of about 2,100 meters (6,900 ft). The massif also contains the highest mountain in Java, Mount Semeru, four lakes and 50 rivers. It is named after the Tenggerese people. The explosion of the volcano that created the caldera, happened ca. 45.000 years ago, in an event similar to the Krakatau eruption.
Javanese culture is the culture of the Javanese people. Javanese culture is centered in the provinces of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java in Indonesia. Due to various migrations, it can also be found in other parts of the world, such as Suriname, the broader Indonesian archipelago region, Cape Malay, Malaysia, Singapore, Netherlands and other countries. The migrants bring with them various aspects of Javanese cultures such as Gamelan music, traditional dances and art of Wayang kulit shadow play.
Dewi Sri or Shridevi is the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese Hindu Goddess of rice and fertility, still widely worshiped on the islands of Java, Bali and Lombok, Indonesia. She is often associated or equated with the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the shakti (consort) of Vishnu.
Singhasari Temple or Candi Singhasari is a 13th-century syncretic Hindu-Buddhist temple located in Singosari district, Malang Regency, East Java in Indonesia.
Tenggerese is a language used by the Tenggerese people in the mountain region of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park which includes Pasuruan Regency, Probolinggo Regency, Malang Regency and Lumajang Regency of East Java, Indonesia.
The eastern salient of Java is a region that makes up the easternmost part of the island of Java, Indonesia. It is not a formal or administrative subdivision, but rather a designation often used to refer to its distinct history, culture, and geographical feature. It is generally considered to begin in the Tengger mountain range and extend eastwards to the east coast of Java. It is entirely contained by the Indonesian province of East Java.
Yadnya Kasada, also known as Kesodo, is a traditional Hindu ritual of the Tenggerese people, an ethnic subgroup of the Javanese. The ritual serves as a way of expressing appreciation to their gods, whom they believe have granted them with blessings, abundance, and welfare.
Ranu Pani or Ranupani is a volcanic lake in Ranu Pani Village, Senduro District, Lumajang Regency, East Java. Ranu Pani is part of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS). Initially, the area of Ranu Pani was around one hectare, but now it is estimated to be only 0.75 hectares due to the rapid sedimentation rate. The population of Ranu Pani is around 2,000 people.
Mount Batok is a cinder cone located in East Java, Indonesia. This volcano has an elevation of 2,440 metres (8,005 ft) above sea level, and is located between four regencies: Probolinggo Regency, Pasuruan Regency, Lumajang Regency, and Malang Regency. The location of Mount Batok is west from Mount Bromo. This mountain is one of the inactive volcanoes located within the Tengger caldera. Mount Batok is part of Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.
Greater Malang is a region in East Java, Indonesia, encompassing the municipality of Malang and its hinterland. About 3 million people in East Java reside in Greater Malang. The principal city, Malang is well known as the home of notable universities in Indonesia, and the nearby Batu, is well known as a tourism centre in East Java.