Indonesia: Hindus Throw Live Animals into Crater of Mount Bromo Volcano for Gods


On the 14th day of the Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada, the Tenggerese people throw fruit, vegetables and live animals into the crater of Mount Bromo as offerings to the mountain gods.


However, not all of their offerings reach the gods. Locals from a nearby village in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia, wait inside the crater with nets and try to catch the food thrown by the Hindu worshippers.



A tribesman holds a goat before throwing it into the crater of Mount Bromo as an offering

A tribesman holds a goat before throwing it into the crater of Mount Bromo as an offering(AFP)



A bird tries to fly after being thrown into the crater of Mount Bromo by Hindu worshippers

A bird tries to fly after being thrown into the crater of Mount Bromo by Hindu worshippers(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



Villagers with nets prepare to catch offerings thrown by Hindu worshippers into the crater of Mount Bromo

Villagers with nets prepare to catch offerings thrown by Hindu worshippers into the crater of Mount Bromo(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)




The origin of the festival lies in the 15th century when a princess named Roro Anteng started the principality of Tengger with her husband Joko Seger, and the childless couple asked the mountain gods for help in bearing children.


The legend says the gods granted them 24 children, on the provision that the 25th must be tossed into the volcano in sacrifice. The 25th child, Kesuma, was finally sacrificed in this way after initial refusal, and the tradition of throwing sacrifices into the caldera to appease the mountain gods continues today.



A village is seen at the foot of Mount Bromo in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in Probolinggo, Java, Indonesia

A village is seen at the foot of Mount Bromo in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in Probolinggo, Java, Indonesia( Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



Two men lead a goat across the Sea of Sand towards the crater of Mount Bromo

Two men lead a goat across the Sea of Sand towards the crater of Mount Bromo(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



People carry offerings of fruit and vegetables up towards the crater of Mount Bromo

People carry offerings of fruit and vegetables up towards the crater of Mount Bromo(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



A villager crossing the Sea of Sands pauses to take in the view

A villager crossing the Sea of Sands pauses to take in the view(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



Clouds blanket the valley below as Tenggerese worshippers pray to their ancestors at the crater of Mount Bromo

Clouds blanket the valley below as Tenggerese worshippers pray to their ancestors at the crater of Mount Bromo(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



Tenggerese worshippers trek across the Sea of Sand to give their offerings to Mount Bromo

Tenggerese worshippers trek across the Sea of Sand to give their offerings to Mount Bromo(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



Villagers use nets to try to catch offerings thrown by Hindu worshippers

Villagers use nets to try to catch offerings thrown by Hindu worshippers(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



Eleven-year-old Feri holds a net as he and other villagers wait to catch offerings thrown by Hindu worshippers

Eleven-year-old Feri holds a net as he and other villagers wait to catch offerings thrown by Hindu worshippers(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



A villager tries to catch a chicken thrown by Hindu worshippers into the crater of Mount Bromo

A villager tries to catch a chicken thrown by Hindu worshippers into the crater of Mount Bromo(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)




The Tenggerese or Tengger people live in villages in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in east-central Java. They are generally Hindu, but they also worship Ida Sang Hyang Widi Wasa, which translates as "Big Almighty Lord", as well as several Buddhist deities.


The main Tenggerese temple is Pura Luhur Poten on the Sea of Sands at the foot of Mount Bromo. They gather here before setting off up Mount Bromo with their offerings for the mountain gods.



Tenggerese worshippers prepare at Poten Temple before going to Mount Bromo

Tenggerese worshippers prepare at Poten Temple before going to Mount Bromo(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



Tenggerese worshippers gather around a fire at Poten Temple before heading to the mountain

Tenggerese worshippers gather around a fire at Poten Temple before heading to the mountain(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



Worshippers consult with a shaman at Widodaren Cave before they set off up the mountain

Worshippers consult with a shaman at Widodaren Cave before they set off up the mountain(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)






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