The Origin Of Kelud Mountain

According  to the legend, Mt. Kelud was formed by a betrayal of a princess called Dewi Kilisuci, to two powerful Kings named Mahesa Suro and Lembu Suro. At the moment, Dewi kilisuci, the daughter of King Jenggala Manik, who was famous for her beauty, was proposed by two kings. But, they are not human kind. Lembu Suro was a cow-headed creature and Mahesa Suro was a buffalo-headed creature.

To refuse the proposal, Dewi Kilisuci made a competition which is impossible to be followed by a common human being. It was creating two wheels on the top of Kelud mountain. As addition, one of the wheel had to smell fishy, and another one had to smell fragrant. Those to wheels had to be finished in one night.

Using their magical power, Lembu Sura and Mahesa Sura worked out the wheels. And finally, they could finish their job. But, Dewi Kilisuci still refused  the proposal. So, she asked for one more requirement. Both Lembu Sura and Mahesa Sura had to prove that the wheel were really smell fishy and fragrant. To prove that, they had to come into the wheel.

When both of the them came into the wheel, Dewi Kilisuci told her soldier to burry them with stone. Both Lembu Suro and Mahesa Sura couldn’t escape the trap and they died in the wheel which they made. But, before Lembu Suro died, he cursed that he would take revenge. Kediri town would be cursed into river, Blitar town would be dry-land, and Tulungagung town would be a great lake.

Because of this curse, up to now  Kelud people always present a sacrifice to neutralized the curse.

by: Yani Abaraham

East Java - Indonesia

fb: yani abraham