This 700-year-old Ganesha idol sits at the edge of an active volcano in Indonesia

We have all seen Ganesha’s statues and idols in temples, homes and pandals. But high in the Tengger Mountains of East Java in Indonesia, the Hindu deity has a rather unusual abode. Here, Ganesha sits firmly at the mouth of a volcano and the locals believe that it quietly protects them from the fury of Mount Bromo’s lava and eruptions. 

A Ganesha idol sits at the mouth of an active volcano: Here’s where to find it

Among the 131 active volcanoes in Indonesia, Mount Bromo sits right at the crux of nature’s madness. As per reports, the volcano last erupted in 2019. But miraculously the protagonist of this story, the Ganesha that is perched on the edge of the volcanic crater in Bromo Tengger Semeru national park, remained intact.

Legend has it that this particular idol was erected around 700 years ago and to this day, the Tenggerese community, including Javanese Hindus, believes that the idol is the sole protector of the community from the dangers of an eruption. 

By around 550–600 CE, sculptures of Ganesha had begun appearing across parts of Southeast Asia, including present-day Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, according to historical accounts. While Ganpati remained an important figure in Hindu traditions, the elephant-headed deity took on different forms and meanings as his worship spread across the region.

On the Indonesian island of Java, tantric Buddhism and Shaivism gradually began to intersect, giving rise to new forms of religious expression. Ganesha was also depicted as a tantric deity, revered as a remover of obstacles.

Now, away from the historical context, this Ganesha at the centre of Mount Bromo has also become an important tourist site. Every year, taking high risk challenges, travellers hike up to the volcanic mountain just to get a glimpse of the deity. Thousands of people gather and hike the mountain especially during the Yadnya Kasada festival.

During this month-long festival worshippers carry offerings up the slope of the mountain and on reaching there they throw the offerings into its crater as sacrifice. People offer a range of things including money, rice, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and livestock which are tossed toward the caldera from the rim of the crater. The festival takes place in between the months of May and July.

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