Bledug Kuwu is a mud volcano site attraction located in Kuwu village, Kradenan, Grobogan, Central Java. This location is 28 km from Purwodadi, and one of tourist attractions in the vicinity of Mrapen eternal flame and Kedungombo dam. The mud is popping up constantly, with 2 to 3 minutes tempo.
If in USA there is a Salt lake derived from shallowed sea and then shifted to spacious land, and now used as the fastest cars testing. Bledug Kuwu is a natural miracle. Bledug name derives from the explosion sound or bledug in Javanese, that is heard periodically from distance and smolders smoke, gas and salt. Bledug Kuwu was a sea bottom, currently is 53 meters asl, and 53 Hectares with minimum temperature 31 deg Celsius .
Bledug Kuwu can be rached from Semarang via Purwodadi. Along the trip, beautiful scenery can be seen on left and right side of the road, overlay of green rice paddy, and blue sky. When arriving at Bledug Kuwu, the green scenery will change to barren, hot and infertile place. Local people employ Bledug Kuwu for salt, that its salt is popular to Keraton Surakarta. In the proximity, there are tiny hills that the top expel yellow mud.
According to Dr AJ Panekoek, the region is an alluvial plain that expels vapor, gas and salt water. Alluvial plain is a relatively flat land-form created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time. The sound from the mud is because of the break out of gray or dark gray mud, but if it is mixed with water will yield white mud. If the water is precipitated will yield limestone from ocean and then shifted to land. The erosion of limestone mountain surely will have limestone soil sediment.
Bledhug Kuwu has legend that became the background of this phenomenon. Since the Seventh Century, Grobogan was part of Medang Kamolan Kingdom that was reigned by Dewata Cengkar, that was a cannibal. People were afraid of him, as they did not want to be the king’s meal. No one can defeat the King as he was very powerful.
Later, Ajisaka, a wanderer, arrived in Medang Kamolan, and he was very concern about the people suffer. Ajisaka challenged Dewata Cengkar to fight one on one in front of thousand of people that expect Ajisaka to win. King Dewata Cengkar laughed out loud and accepted the challenge. The king said that if Ajisaka win, he could have half of the kingdom, but if he lose, he would be the meal of him. Ajisaka agreed and he asked the king that if he lose he asked the king to buried his bones in a soil as long as his turban length. The king didnt know that Ajisaka’s turban has power. Ajisaka took of his turban and spread on the ground, Miraculously the turban gut wider, and Dewata Cengkar should avoid the growing turban until he fell to the southern sea. He was not dead, but shift into white crocodile. Ajisaka then reigned as the King of Medang Kamolan.
When Ajisaha reigned, a dragon, named as Jaka Linglung, appeared and said that he was the son of Ajisaka. But Ajisaka rejected him as son and tried to get rid of the dragon with manner. Ajisaka said that he would take him as son if he could kill the white crocodile, the manifestation of Dewata Cengkar living in the southern sea. Jaka Linglung accepted that condition, and asked Jaka Linglung to go to the southern sea via under the ground, not land line as this would disturb people.
Jaka Linglung could kill Dewata Cengkar, and as he departed throung underground, he returned through the ground too. As the evidence that he had arrived at southern sea, and kill Dewata Cengkar, he brought grass of Cynodon dactylon, and salt water. Several times he tried to come up to surface as he thought he arrived at Medang Kamolan. First he came up at Ngembak village (Purwodadi), then at Jono Village, Grabagan, Crewek and last at Kuwu. At Kuwu, he rested, and the place where he came up is believed to be the legend of the appearance of Bledug Kuwu.