VULKANO-HISTORIS KELUD: DINAMIKA HUBUNGAN MANUSIA – GUNUNG API

Abstract

Kelud is one of the most active volcanoes in East Java, aside from Mount Semeru. Its volcanic activities are widespread and not only affect the areas in the City and Regency of Blitar and the Regency of Kediri, but in some way also have impact in other areas within the vicinity. During the era of Hindu-Buddhist monarchies in Java, the activities had impact on parts of several kingdoms in Java since the Kadiri to Majapahit periods. Therefore since the period there were various efforts to mitigate the impact of Mount Kelud’s volcanic activities. In accordance with the religiosity of its time, one of the mitigation efforts was religio-mitigation, which is volcanic disaster mitigation using religio-magical action. It is viable that this overview on the “volcano-historic” and “anthropo-ecologic” studies on the volcanic activities of Mount Kelud along the period using textual (epigraphic and philological), archaeological, and paleo-ecological data can reveal not only the mystery of the volcanic aspect of Mount Kelud but also the alternations of mitigation efforts to deal with its eruptions. At least it is hoped that it will reveal the concepts of relational dynamics between humans and volcanoes in the context of archaic culture in Java. It is not unlikely that such study can be applied to other volcanoes in similar period.

Gunung Kelud adalah satu diantara dua gunung berapi di Jawa Timur yang terbilang paling aktif – selain Gunung Semeru. Aktifitas vulkaniknya berdampak luas. Bukan hanya menimpa wilayah di Kota dan Kabupaten Blitar serta Kabupaten Kediri, namun secara tidak langsung berdampak terhadap daerah-daerah lain di sekitarnya. Pada era kemonarkhian Jawa masa Hindu-Buddha, dampaknya menimpai sebagian wilayah kerajaan-kerajaan di Jawa, sejak masa Kadiri hingga Majapahit. Oleh karena itu, semenjak lampau itu pula telah dilakukan ragam upaya mitigasi terhadap dampak vulkanik Kelud. Sesuai dengan religiositas pada jamannya, salah satu bentuk mitigatif itu adalah religio-mitigatif, yakni mitigasi bencana vulkanik secara religio-magis. Tinjauan “vulkano-historis” dan “antropo-ekologis” terhadap peristiwa vulkanik Kelud lintas masa dengan mendayagunakan sumber data tekstual (epigrafis dan filologis), arkeologis maupun paleo-ekologis bukan tidak mungkin mampu menyingkap: bukan saja misteri kegunungapian Kelud, namun sekaligus alternasi-alternasi upaya mitigasi terhadap kemurkaannya. Setidaknya, tersingkap. konsepsi tentang dinamika relasional antara manusia dan gunung api dalam konteks budaya arkhais di Jawa. Hal serupa bukan tidak mungkin berlaku pada gunung-gunung api lain dalam kurun waktu yang sejaman.