Gunung Lawu ( 3,265 m - 10,712 ft)
Indonesia (Java)
In "Mountains in Indonesia", oil on canvas, 1912, Private collection
The mountain
Gunung
Lawu is a massive compound stratovolcanostraddling the border between
East Java and Central Java, Indonesia. The north side is deeply eroded
and the eastern side contains parasitic crater lakes and parasitic
cones. A fumarolic area is located on the south flank at 2,550 m. The
only reported activity of Lawu took place in 1885, when rumblings and
light volcanic ash falls were reported. The recent study provided
insights into geothermal heat flow suggesting that Mt. Lawu is still
active today.
Mount Lawu is the home of the God Parwatarajadewa(also
called Hyang Girinatha in the manuscript Serat Centhini). The New
Javanese manuscript Serat Manikmaya states that Mount Lawu is part of
the eighteen sacred mountains of Central Java, and scholars agree that
it had great religious significance to the Hindus of Java. Poerbatjaraka
stated that the original name of Lawu is Katong, which means God. The
name Katong is likely associated with the ruins of Mount Meru,
the sacred five peaked mountain and center of the universe. This
assosiation makes it likely that it is a seat of God, for which it is
named. The last mention of this name was in the reign of Bhre Kertabhumi
(1474-1478), and the first mention of Mount Lawu was in the Bhujangga
Manik in the early 16th century, which indicates the name change took
place between the 15th and 16th centuries, coinciding with the Islamic
invasion.
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2022 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau
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