Tuban
6°54′S112°03′E/ 6.9°S 112.05°E
Tubanis a town located on the north coast ofJava,inTuban Regency(of which the town is the administrative capital), approximately 100 km (62 mi) west ofSurabaya,the capital ofEast Java.Tuban Regency is surrounded byLamongan Regencyin the east,Bojonegoro Regencyin the south, andRembang Regency,Central Javain the west. Tuban town covers 21.29 km2(8.22 sq mi) and in mid-2023 had an officially estimated population of 88,052.[1]
As an ancient town, Tuban is of considerable historical and cultural value. The most prominent feature is the beauty of the scenery such as beaches, caves, and forests, especially theteakforest.
Tuban was formerly an important port in theMajapahitera and is mentioned in Chinese records from the eleventh century. An ancient anchor from one ofKublai Khan's ships is preserved in the historical museum. Tuban is believed to have been Islamised before its conquest byDemakc.1527. Even following its Islamisation, it remained loyal to Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit in the interior.[2]The grave ofSunan Bonang,a sixteenth-centuryIslamicmissionary - one of theWali Sangainvolved in theinitial spread of Islam in Java,is located in Tuban. The site is within a few minutes walk of the alun-alun (town square). This site is an important destination for Muslim pilgrims.
TheDutchname of the city is 'Toeban'.
History
[edit]The town's name has been derived from the following story: a mythical pair of birds flying from Majapahit to Demak dropped a preciousheirloomstone on the town thereafter named Tuban based on theJavanesephrase "waTU tiBAN atau meTU BANyu", which means "stone fallen from the sky". Another explanation refers to flooding ( "TU BANyu" meaning "water streaming out" ) that occurred when the aristocratic Islamic scholar Raden Dandang Wacana entered thePapringanForest, discovering an old well near the seaside that miraculously contained freshwater. The name has furthermore been derived from "Tubo", meaning poison, in keeping with the name of a Tubanese subdistrict namedJenuto this day, which carries the same meaning.
The official history of Tuban began in the Majapahit era in the 13th century. There was once an important ceremony when the king of Majapahit crowned Ronggolawe as the principal of the Tuban region. It was held on 12 November 1293 and that date has become the anniversary of Tuban, making it more ancient than Surabaya. Tuban's 700th anniversary was celebrated with a grand parade of decorated floats in 1993. The spread of Islam was pioneered by Sunan Bonang and his followerSunan Kalijaga,who was the son of the Tubanese principal in the 13th century. Tuban was considered a center of Islamic culture and politics throughout the 15th century.[3]
Economy
[edit]Tuban is famous fortobaccoand hardwoodteakproduction.PT Semen Gresik,a major state-ownedcementcompany, opened the largest cement factory in Indonesia in Tuban in 1994. Apetrochemicalplant operated byTrans-Pacific Petrochemical Indotama (TPPI)opened in 2006 after several years of delays. in 2010 also will be built in Tuban Holcim cement plant & Coal Fired Power Station be built inJenu.
Education
[edit]There are four universities in Tuban,Universitas Sunan Bonangand the recently establishedUniversitas Ronggolawe (UNIROW),which started as a Teacher Training College namedIKIP PGRI TUBAN,STITMA and STIKES NU (College of Health Sciences Nahdlatul Ulama Tuban) which was inaugurated by Health Minister Hj. Siti Fadilah Supari.Voluntary Service Overseasposted severalELTvolunteers to train local counterparts from 1989 onwards, followed by teachers fromVolunteers in Asia,all warmly received as the only Westerners (calledLondo,derived from theJavaneseword forBelanda= Dutch) in the town. Among the town's secondary schools is Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri Tuban.
Tourism
[edit]
Tuban is famous for its uniquebatik,locally known asBatik Gedog.Typical motifs are sea animals in dark colours such as blue and purple. There is a traditional Chinese temple namedKlenteng"Kwan Sing Bio" by the beach, which is visited by many local tourists from Surabaya and its environs, especially whenImlek,the Chinese New Year is celebrated.
Tuban is known as the "City of a Thousand Caves" since there are so manycavesin the area, containing both stalactites andstalagmites.Famous caves such asGoa AkbarandGoa Maharani(which contain sophisticated pre-formed statues believed to be natural by young and old) are located near the city. Besides, there are many recreational sites worth visiting, such asGoa Ngerong,a natural swimming pool calledPemandian Alam Bektiharjo,awaterfallnamedAir Terjun Nglirip,and the beach and pier for young couples,Pantai Boom.
Tuban is also well known for its beverage 'tuak', a strongpalm winetaken from theArentree (calleduwit bogor) served in largebamboomugs calledcentak.Historically, the Tubanese used tuak as a strategic weapon against the colonial invaders, who were unable to fight when inebriated. Its non-alcoholic variety namedLegenis drunk by women and children. Tuak and a kind ofginnamedarakare also served at traditional dance parties known asTayubanorSindiran,at which heavily made-up and padded female entertainers calledWaranggonosing satirical songs and dance with paying males until the break of dawn, accompanied by a smallgamelanorchestra. The dance movements are a vulgarised version of theCentral Javanesepalatial dance style known asSrimpi.One of the most notable of these entertainers, Nyi Sumini, was selected as one of five representatives to perform at Jakarta'sTaman Mini Indonesia IndahPark. One of Indonesia's most famous and prolific pop bands,Koes Plus,hailed from Tuban.
The most luxurious hotel in town, theHotel Mustikawas burnt to the ground when riots broke out after one of the candidates accused his opponents of having framed the outcome of the local elections to decide who would become the next regent orBupati.The first female candidate in Tuban's history, Haeny Relawati, won and the instigator of the riots has been imprisoned.[citation needed]
Kwan Sing Bio Temple
[edit]Tuban has the largest statue in Southeast Asia of Kwan Sing Tee Koen, akaKwan Kong.The statue is located inside the compound of the Tri Dharma Kwan Sing Kwan Sing Bio Chinese Temple and is 30 metres (98 ft) high. Some Islamic extremists make use of this opportunity to protest against this statue citing that the statue is bigger than Indonesia's statue of General of the Army RadenSudirmanat Sudirman Street,Jakarta.A temple spokesperson explained that the original statue of Kwan Sing Tee Koen is about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) and is enshrined inside the temple for the devotees to worship, whereas the 30-meter statue is only a symbolic monument. A construction permit was officially obtained from a local authority, and many Islamic organizations in Tuban did not object to the construction of the statue, however, some religious extremists outside Tuban tried to create religious discrimination by making a comparison of the Kwan Sing Tee Koen and Sudirman statues.[4][5]In August 2017 escalating protests led to the statue of Kwan Kong being covered with a white sheet, and a mob atSurabayademanded for the statue's destruction.[6]
Climate
[edit]Tuban has atropical savanna climate(Aw) with moderate to little rainfall from April to November and heavy rainfall from December to March.
| Climate data for Tuban | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.5 (86.9) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.8 (87.4) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.4 (88.5) |
32.1 (89.8) |
33.0 (91.4) |
33.4 (92.1) |
33.0 (91.4) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.7 (89.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.4 (81.3) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.6 (79.9) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.7 (81.9) |
28.3 (82.9) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.3 (81.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.2 (73.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
22.4 (72.3) |
21.8 (71.2) |
21.8 (71.2) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.9 (73.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 258 (10.2) |
220 (8.7) |
213 (8.4) |
124 (4.9) |
94 (3.7) |
62 (2.4) |
33 (1.3) |
20 (0.8) |
20 (0.8) |
54 (2.1) |
117 (4.6) |
219 (8.6) |
1,434 (56.5) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[7] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
[edit]- Maria Kristin Yulianti,badminton player
- Koes Plus, musician
- Haeny Relawati, first female regent (bupati)
- Sunan Bonang, one of Wali Songo
- Dewangga Wisma S.K., student
- Willem Thomas de Vogel,colonial physician and official
Notes
[edit]- ^Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024,Kabupaten Tuban Dalam Angka 2024(Katalog-BPS 1102001.3523)
- ^Ricklefs, M.C. 1991.A History of Modern Indonesia since c.1300. second Edition,Stanford: Stanford University Press. page 37,ISBN0-333-57690-X
- ^Federspiel, Howard M. (1995).A Dictionary of Indonesian Islam.Ohio University, Center for International Studies. p. 274.ISBN978-0-89680-182-0.
- ^Hasanudin Aco (August 2, 2017)."Ramai Perdebatan Media Sosial soal Patung Dewa Tertinggi se-Asia Tenggara yang Ada di Tuban".
- ^Heri Agung Fitrianto."Kisah Kwan Kong Di Kelenteng Kwan Sing Bio".RetrievedAugust 2,2017.
- ^Goldman, Russell (August 10, 2017)."In Indonesia, Chinese Deity Is Covered in Sheet After Muslims Protest".The New York Times.RetrievedAugust 11,2017.
- ^"Climate: Tuban".Climate-Data.org.Retrieved16 November2020.