Bledug Kuwu mud volcano spouts salty water, local lore<\/p>\n
Bambang M, Contributor, Grobogan, Central Java<\/p>\n
Bledug Kuwu looks like just another muddy pond. But every one or
\ntwo minutes, the placid water erupts in an explosion of mud,
\nfollowed by a plume of white steam.<\/p>\n
You can find this natural wonder near Kuwu village, 28
\nkilometers east of the town of Purwodadi. The pond is located
\njust off the alternative road connecting Purwodadi and Cepu in
\nCentral Java, on a site measuring some 4.5 hectares. Bledug Kuwu
\nhas become a tourist attraction in the area.<\/p>\n
Visitors can watch the geyser from a distance of between 10
\nmeters and 20 meters. The eruptions of water and mud shift
\npositions from time to time. But there are two spots where the
\ngeyser regularly erupts. The locals call the one in the east Mbah
\n(Grandpa) Jokotua and the one in the west Mbah (Grandma) Rodenok.<\/p>\n
They have given the spots where the geyser erupts names as
\nthey believe that the place is sacred.<\/p>\n
The geyser brings salty water up to the surface from the
\nbowels of the earth. This water actually contains a higher level
\nof salt than that of the sea.<\/p>\n
Locals obtain salt from this water, and the visitor can watch
\nthe traditional process taking place. The salty, yellowish water
\nthat spouts from the earth is funneled along a bamboo channel to
\na teakwood container measuring four by four meters.<\/p>\n
There are dozens of two-meter-long bamboo cuts joined together
\nto form a channel of about 50 meters long. The water is then
\nallowed to evaporate. Within one week, the water is all gone and
\nall that is left is the salt.<\/p>\n
\"It's about 50 kilograms,\" said Suliyem, one of the salt
\nworkers, referring to the amount of salt she obtained weekly.<\/p>\n
The salt produced this way is so tasty that it is said that
\nthe cooks from the old Surakarta Kingdom always used salt
\nproduced in this area.<\/p>\n
Bledug Kuwu is a must-see spot though the area is almost
\ndevoid of tourist facilities. Despite the blistering heat, the
\npond is unique in the sense that it one of the biggest geysers in
\nJava.<\/p>\n
Jarot Setyowiyoto, a lecturer at Gadjah Mada University, said
\nthat there was also a pond in Djuwangi, Boyolali, which also was
\nhome to a geyser, although its eruptions were smaller. Larger
\neruptions also used to take place in Sangiran.<\/p>\n
\"Geologically, the phenomenon the you see in Bledug Kuwu is
\nknown as a mud volcano as it blows out mud from deep inside the
\nearth,\" Jarot said.<\/p>\n
He said that there were two possible explanations for the
\nphenomenon.<\/p>\n
First, a phenomenon known as a shale diapiric process, where
\nthe ground slowly sinks into the earth, thus producing eruptions.<\/p>\n
Second, because gases from the earth or biogenic gases react
\nand generate high pressure gas that has to find a way to escape
\nto the surface.<\/p>\n
The gas usually emerges where the soil is weak, such as in
\nBledug Kuwu.<\/p>\n
\"The gas build up under the mud. When the pressure is high
\nenough, it pushes through the mud,\" he said.<\/p>\n
And what about the salty water?<\/p>\n
Jarot said that when the gas is seeking the way out, it passes
\nthrough a layer of stone that geologically has trapped sea water
\nunderneath it for millions of years. The water is then pushed up
\nto the surface by the pressure of the gas.<\/p>\n
Such water usually has a high salt content. The water in
\nBledug Kuwu contains 8 ppm (parts per million) of salt, compared
\nto the sea water which has a degree of 3 ppm.<\/p>\n
Another interesting fact about the Bledug Kuwu geyser is that
\nat the center of the eruptions, where the temperature is between
\n28 and 36 degrees Celsius, bacteria are found that are similar to
\none living in the depths of the ocean off Japan.<\/p>\n
\"The bacteria found there (in Bledug Kuwu) are extremely
\nresistant. They are halotolerant, or capable of resisting high
\nlevels of salt,\" Endang S. Soetarto, a microbiologist from Gadjah
\nMada University, explained.<\/p>\n
But the residents of Kuwu village know nothing about the
\nbacteria or the scientific explanations for their geyser. If you
\nask them about the phenomenon, they will tell you about the
\nlegend of Aji Saka, the king of Medang Kamolan Kingdom, which
\nstood close to Kuwu village.<\/p>\n
It is said that the son of the king took the form of a snake,
\nwho was called Joko Linglung. Aji Saka was ashamed of his son. So
\nhe told Joko Linglung that he would only recognize the snake as
\nhis son if he killed his father's enemy, a white crocodile in the
\nSouth Sea. The king also said that if Joko Linglung killed the
\ncrocodile, he should return home through an underground route.<\/p>\n
Joko Linglung agreed and he finally managed to kill Dewata
\nCengkar, the white crocodile. He then crept home through an
\nunderground passage. Arriving in Bledug Kuwu, he emerged to the
\nsurface to take a rest and find out where exactly he was.<\/p>\n
The locals believe that the hole from which he emerged is
\nwhere the geyser now erupts, and the salty water is water from
\nthe South Sea which flows through Joko Linglung's underground
\npassage.<\/p>\n
Because the sound of the geyser erupting is like the explosion
\nof a canon, the people called it Bledug, while Kuwu comes from
\nthe word pakuwon, which means \"resting place\".<\/p>\n
Near Bledug Kuwu is the sacred grave of Mbak (Sister) Ro
\nDukun, or Raden Ayu Ngainah, the woman who took care of Joko
\nLinglung when he was resting in the area.<\/p>\n
The villagers believe that her spirit is still dwells in
\nBledug Kuwu.<\/p>\n
\"If the residents of Kuwu village want to hold a party, the
\nmust place offerings at Bledug Kuwu first. If they don't, then
\nthere will be problems,\" said Suliyem, a mother of two.<\/p>\n
Whatever you think of this story, one thing for sure is that
\nthe salt produced at Bledug Kuwu is excellent.<\/p>\n
\"This salt can also cure stomachaches. Just put one teaspoon
\nof salt in a glass of hot water and drink it,\" said Sukinan,
\nSuliyem's husband.<\/p>\n
Some villagers also sell the saltwater from Bledug Kuwu, which
\nis said to also cure skin ailments. If you are skeptical, why not
\ntry for yourself at Bledug Kuwu.<\/p>",
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