According to the ‘Tantu Panggeleran’, a sacred cosmological scripture dating from the 15th century, the island of Java used to drift unpredictably in the ocean. In order to stabilize it, and make it habitable for humans, the gods Vishnu and Brahma transformed respectively into a turtle and a snake, and set out to carry and place a section of the Holy Mountain of India on Java. During their journey, fragments of rock chipped off the mountain and dispersed on the ground, creating a chain of successive volcanoes across the island. In East Java, and along this trail, lays a vast ancient caldera. Surrounded by a lush mountainous region, the Tengger massif is a large open desert expanse which contains five volcanoes. Draped with sand, volcanic ash and scattered volcanic rocks, it is a celestial terrain, which the Tengger, inhabitants of the area, call the ‘Sea of Sand’. Bromo, the only active volcano of the caldera, is considered holy and is one of the most revered volcanoes in Indonesia. It is named after Brahma, god of creation, but also of fire, in Javanese Hinduism. A local legend has it that a Majapahit noble couple which was childless, invoked the mountain spirit. They were granted many children, on the condition that the last one would be sacrificed in the crater. As they failed to fulfill their promise, the volcano fiercely erupted, consuming the young boy. Up to this day, the local community, conscious of the volcano’s temperament, holds yearly a big procession and offering ceremony. At the base of the volcano, stands the main temple of Luhur Poten, built of black volcanic stone. And around the mountain, in places where the dark rubble has landed following its explosive orbit, smaller shrines and altars have been constructed using the volcanic material. These are tended on a regular basis with offerings of food, fruit and incense. The Tengger follow an old tradition of Siva Buddha, a veneration of the Hindu trinity of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu fused with ancestral spirit worship and animist beliefs. This is a place where the forces of nature are at full play. It is a realm, ethereal, but also grounding. In the ‘Sea of Sand’, when the wind gushes, grains of sand and dust crackle and hiss, as they sweep the barren plains. When rain pours from the sky, the long crevices down the slopes and around the mountain base flow with streams of water. Up on top, Bromo’s breaths of steam and sulfur dance and merge with the clouds and mist. And when the wind halts, the waters inside the restless crater resonate like the sound of the ocean. Today, Mount Bromo is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Java. Thousands of Indonesians and foreigners visit the volcano, and the alchemical qualities of the place can somewhat fade under the noise of global tourism. Nevertheless, the mountain still forcefully expresses its mercurial character, as its most recent eruption in 2019 warded off visitors for months.