“Java’s Borobudur temple showcases the volcano-island’s Hindu-Buddhist heritage”, First Post, December 14, 2025
“A few weeks ago, news reports mentioned that parts of a massive ash column from a volcanic explosion in faraway Ethiopia could be heading to Delhi. While the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia had woken up from its dormancy after several thousand years and its ash had little impact on India’s capital, it did remind one of an active volcano that also witnessed an explosion in October. A volcano whose past is intertwined with that of iconic heritage in its vicinity!
Mount Merapi, on the Indonesian island of Java, has witnessed eruptions since prehistoric times. This part of central Java was also the heart of the Hindu-Buddhist kingdom of Mataram. From the culture of this kingdom came the volcano’s name – ‘Meru’ meaning ‘mountain’ in Sanskrit and ‘Avi’ translating into ‘fire’ in Javanese.
The kingdom flourished in the 8th–11th century CE period, and witnessed the landscape being dotted with magnificent temples. The temples came up everywhere, on plains, near fields, on hills and even on the slopes of Merapi. Given the destructive potential of the volcano, perhaps the idea was to propitiate whichever gods controlled the explosions to stay calm. It didn’t quite go according to plan…..”
Read full article at firstpost.com
