Bledug Kuwu in Grobogan, Central Java, has been a tourist destination for decades. For local people, bledug means explosion and kuwu or kuwur means scattered. People visit the site to watch the mud volcano, which erupts every three minutes, resulting in beautiful formations.

Located several minutes by car from Blok Cepu mining site, Bledug Kuwu is somehow identical to the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java. If Sidoarjo's mudflow has displaced nearby residents and brought misery to the people, Bledug Kuwu has helped local people earn money.

People living near this tourism site make money by selling salt to visitors. The salt is harvested from volcanic sediment that is dried in an open field.

Legend has it that the explosion comes from a tunnel that connects the site to the mystical "Laut Selatan" or Indian Ocean. The tunnel is a passage for a mystical knight, Joko Linglung, and allows him to move between Laut Selatan and the Medang Kamulan Kingdom, the area of which includes today's Grobogan.

Joko Linglung made the passage when he transformed into a huge dragon to demonstrate his supernatural powers to Aji Saka, the king of Medang Kamulan.

Photos by Tarko Sudiarno