Mt. Merapi threatening to erupt in Central Java

Mt. Merapi in Central Java is threatening to erupt, smoke and sulfur being emitted constantly from its peak. The likely hood is it will erupt and locals who live in the surrounding areas are doing what they think is appropriate. BBC has some nice photos of the goings on there, including a silhouette of rice farmers in front of the mountain.

Mt. Merapi has rich soil around it and the traditional life still goes on there, although Yogyakarta isn’t far away. Merapi is 25km north of Yogya, and its name means ‘Fire Mountain’. Merapi erupted in 1006 and covered Borobudur which is 48kms away. Looking at photo #5 its interesting because of the comment. It says the 79 year old gate keeper of Mt. Merapi, was appointed by the king to mediate with the spirits of the mountain. The man in the picture, Marijan, is wearing
a Muslim pecis, but is obviously well versed in the animist belief system that lingers below the surface in Indonesia. I was talking with a couple o tourists from India last night and they told me the version of Hinduism is totally different here in Bali, than the version they practice at home. WE agreed that the Balinese incorporate animism and ancestor worship into their own version of Hinduism.

Fascinating country, both physically and culturally.