Surabaya is the second-largest
city in Indonesia with a population of over 3.1 million and the capital of the province of East Java. It is located on the northern shore of eastern Java
at the mouth of the Mas River and along the edge of the Madura Strait.
To Indonesians, it is known as "the city of
heroes" due to the importance of the Battle of Surabaya in
galvanizing Indonesian and international support for Indonesian independence
during the Indonesian National Revolution.
Surabaya is locally believed to derive its name from the
words "sura" or "suro" (shark) and "baya"
or "boyo" (crocodile), two creatures which, in a local myth,
fought each other in order to gain the title of "the strongest and most
powerful animal" in the area according to a Jayabaya prophecy. This prophecy tells of a fight between a
giant white shark and a giant white crocodile, which sometimes interpreted as a
conflict between Mongol forces and Raden Wijaya's Majapahit forces. Now the two animals are
used as the city's logo, the two facing each other while circling, as depicted
in a statue appropriately located near the entrance to the city zoo. This folk
etymology, though embraced enthusiastically by city leaders, is unverifiable.
Alternate
derivations proliferate: from the Javanese "sura ing baya",
meaning "bravely facing danger"; or from the use of "surya"
to refer to the sun. Some people consider this Jayabaya prophecy as a great war
between Surabaya native people and invaders in 1945, while another story is
about two heroes that fought each other in order to be the king of the city.
The two heroes were Sura and Baya.
(source: wikipedia)
Tidak ada komentar :
Posting Komentar