Mount Merapi of ancestors who died as righteous people. The spirits of these ancestors are said to live in the palace as royal servants ("abdi dalem"), occasionally visiting their descendants in dreams to give prophecies or warnings. " To keep the volcano quiet and to appease the spirits of the mountain, the Javanese regularly bring offerings on the anniversary of the sultan of Yogyakarta's coronation. For Yogyakarta Sultanate, Merapi holds significant cosmological symbolism, because it is forming a sacred north-south axis line between Merapi peak and Southern Ocean (Indian Ocean). The sacred axis is signified by Merapi peak in the north, the
Mount Merapi them, Mount Jamurdipo was later renamed Mount Merapi, which means "fire of Rama and Permadi." The Javanese believe that the Earth is not only populated by human beings, but also by spirits ("makhluk halus"). Villages near Merapi believe that one of the palaces (in Javanese "kraton") used by the rulers of the spirit kingdom lies inside Merapi, ruled by Empu Rama and Empu Permadi. This palace is said to be a spiritual counterpart to the Yogyakarta Sultanate, complete with roads, soldiers, princes, vehicles, and domesticated animals. Besides the rulers, the palace is said to also be populated by the spirits