Brief History of Kaliyoso Jogopaten

Brief History of Kaliyoso Jogopaten

Located 15 kilometers away in the north of the city of Solo, there is a small village believed to be the center of Islamic dissemination in the past. The said village is named Kaliyosojogopaten, or simply known as Kaliyoso. Geographically speaking, Kaliyoso is set on the north of the Kali Cemoro (Cemoro River). While administratively, this area is included in the village of Jetis Karangpung, Kalijambe sub-district, Sragen district.

Then how about the story of how this region, which was originally a dense forest, was then paved into a residential area and became the center of the spread of Islam?

In the past two and a half centuries, Kaliyoso was widely-known as “Alas Jogopaten”, which in Indonesian means the Jogopaten Forest. From several sources, we can learn that the history of Kaliyoso was started by someone named Bagus Turmudi who was living with his grandfather, Kyai Abdul Djalal (died and was buried in Pedan, Klaten) since childhood. Later on, Bagus Turmudi will be known as Kyai Abdul Djalal 1.

After he grew up, Bagus Turmudi (Kyai Abdul Djalal 1) continued to gain and deepen his religious knowledge by going to several pesantren (Islamic boarding school), including those located in Surabaya and Semarang. Eventually, his spiritual journey led him to Pesantren Kyai Mojo, Baderan, a kyai (Islamic cleric) who was also an advisor to Prince Diponegoro. In the said pesantren, Bagus Turmudi was then taken as a son-in-law by one of his teachers named Kyai Jumal Korib.

On the next journey, in an effort to disseminate and expand Islamic teachings he had learned, Bagus Turmudi was instructed by the teacher, who was also his father-in-law, to go on an expedition to someplace in the north of Surakarta accompanied by a group of friends.

Whisper Prayer on Watu Soye (Soye Stone)

Watu Soye

The group’s journey commenced from Mojo, Baderan through Surakarta, went along Bengawan Solo (Solo River) and continued eastward. Arriving at the stream that brought together Cemoro River and Bengawan Solo, the group kept on going west along Cemoro River. Arriving at a place called "Watu Soye" (Soye Stone), Kyai Abdul Djalal 1 and his entourage took some time to stay there. It is said that above Watu Soye or the huge Watu Suci (Holy Stone) which was located in the middle of Cemoro River, the kyai often performed Sholat (prayer) and Munajat (whisper prayer) to Allah Ta'ala. Until now, we still can see the remnants of his existence with the footprints of Kyai Abdul Djalal 1 engraved on the stone.

At one time, during his deep prayer to Allah SWT, the kyai received a divine inspiration that ordered them to continue the journey to a place called "Grasak". After leaving Watu Soye heading west, finally Kyai Abdul Djalal 1 heard a divine whisper from God that he has come to the place he was destined to be (in the south of the Kaliyosojogopaten Mosque now).

It was at this place that he began to conduct prayers, fasting and other deeds with the hope that the opening of Grasak forest (Alas Jogopaten) could be done easily and safely with the help from God the Almighty. All of the prayers were made because it was said that the Jogopaten forest was where jinns and other spirits resided. The name "Jogopaten" itself, according to a story, was coming from the word "Jogo Pati", meaning that you have to be ready to lose your soul if you dare to enter the forest.

After successfully breaking into the forest and cleaning it up from astral beings, Kyai Abdul Djalal 1 first set up a house, followed by building up a surau (small mosque) and a space to teach Islam (pesantren). Gradually, the place became crowded with the comings of people who wanted to seek knowledge (read: becoming santri or student). In its development, several people from Kyai Abdul Djalal 1’s family and also other families of his followers from Baderan joined the bandwagon and moved to the new place.

The Origin of “Kaliyoso” Naming

In the year of 1788 AD, when Surakarta Hadiningrat was governed by Paku Buwana IV (PB IV), known as Sinuhun Bagus, the Empress who was enthroned in the Surakarta Hadiningrat Palace was pregnant and ngidam (read: cravings) to taste deer meat. To fulfill the Empress’ wishes, PB IV along with several court officials went hunting to the Krendowahono forest, which was located in the south of the Jogopaten forest. Unfortunately, instead of seizing the deer hunt, in a sudden occult PB IV disappeared without a trace, such that made his henchmen upset. For days, they looked for PB IV to all corners of the forest, but it was in vain. Until one day a local resident gave them a suggestion, saying that in the north of the river there was a Kyai who might be asked to help find the lost PB IV.

So the court officials met the said Kyai, who was none other than Kyai Abdul Djalal 1, and he agreed to help them. However, it was not he himself who would seek PB IV. The very heavy mandate was entrusted to his nephew named Bagus Murtojo (read: Murtolo / Murtadlo). The decision was not wrong, Bagus Murtojo or better known now as Kyai Muhammad Qorib (buried south of Cemoro River) could find Sinuhun PB IV in a short time and finally the King could leave the wingit (haunted) place and returned to the Surakarta Palace.

After the incident, PB IV met Kyai Abdul Djalal 1 at his residence to express his gratitude for the help and assistance he had made in an effort to find himself when he disappeared in Krendowahono forest. At that time, PB IV in front of Kyai Abdul Djalal 1 said, “Now I will call this place ‘Kaliyoso’.” Thus the origin of the name Kaliyoso, what is the real meaning and definition, until now has not been known with certainty. In addition to giving the name Kaliyoso, PB IV also gifted sufficient lands for the place to develop the teachings of Islam. He was also pleased to give a memento in the form of a podium and door to the mosque, as well as the palace heirlooms in the form of spears and keris (Javanese dagger), one of which is the spear "Kyai Ronda". All of these heritage objects can be witnessed until now at the Kaliyoso Jogopaten Jami Mosque.

Pintu dan Mimbar Pemberian PB IV Sala

Bagus Murtojo / Kyai Muhammad Qorib himself was later acknowledged as the adopted brother of PB IV. After Kyai Abdul Djalal 1 died, his position as religious leader in Kaliyoso was replaced successively by Kyai Abdul Djalal 2, 3, and 4 and so on and on the children descending Kyai Badul Djalal even though the name was no longer used hereditary. Finally, in order to maintain the continuity of da’wah and religious education activities in Kaliyoso, Kaliyoso Islamic Community Foundation or YAUMIKA was established and still exist until now. (NH)

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