If you ask the people in Banyuwangi where their city's story really begins, many will point you to a hillside village called Bayu, tucked in Songgon district near the slopes of Mount Raung. It was there, more than two and a half centuries ago, that a fight for survival turned into the event now remembered as Puputan Bayu, or the Bayu War. It is a heavy story, but it is also the reason Banyuwangi exists as we know it today, and it is worth telling slowly.
Where it all started
Long before it carried the name Banyuwangi, this easternmost tip of Java was the Kingdom of Blambangan, the last Hindu kingdom left standing on the island. By the mid 1700s, the Dutch East India Company, better known as the VOC, had set its sights on the region. In 1767, the VOC captured Blambangan's capital and began tightening its grip on daily life. Forced labor, heavy taxes, and food shortages became common, and resentment among the local Osing people grew quickly.
Pangeran Wong Agung Wilis tried to hold the resistance together, but he was eventually captured and exiled to Banda in the Maluku Islands in 1768. With their leader gone, many Blambangan people fled deeper into the forest, gathering in Bayu, a defensible spot on the mountain slope. There, a new leader emerged: Mas Rempeg, later known as Pangeran Jagapati.
The fight that would not end quietly
Word spread that Jagapati had settled in Bayu, and more and more people from Blambangan made their way there to join him. What started as a hideout slowly grew into a stronghold. Clashes with VOC forces broke out through 1771, each one adding to the tension building toward something bigger.
That bigger moment arrived on 18 December 1771. Jagapati led thousands of Blambangan fighters, armed with little more than machetes, spears, and a handful of captured firearms, into an all-out confrontation with VOC troops. This was puputan in its truest sense, a fight without retreat, where surrender was never an option. The attack caught the VOC off guard, and for a while the Blambangan forces pushed their opponents back, even trapping some VOC soldiers in hidden pit traps along the way.
Jagapati was wounded during the fighting and died shortly after, but the resistance did not stop there. Skirmishes continued into the following year, until the VOC, backed by reinforcements and modern weapons, eventually overpowered what remained of the Bayu stronghold.
The cost, and what came after
The numbers from this period are difficult to sit with. Some accounts place Blambangan's population before the war at around 65,000, with only a fraction, sometimes cited as low as 5,000 to 8,000, remaining in the years after. Entire communities were displaced, and the demographic makeup of the region shifted for generations. On the other side, the VOC also lost heavily, both in soldiers and in the enormous cost of waging a war so far from its main bases.
Despite the devastation, 18 December 1771 was later chosen as Banyuwangi's official founding date, a way of honoring the people who chose to fight for their home rather than hand it over quietly. Rowo Bayu, the lake near the old battleground, remains a place many locals still visit, part pilgrimage and part quiet remembrance.
Why this story still matters today
At Sekar Jagad, we think a lot about how history gets carried for
ward, not through monuments alone, but through the things people make and wear. Batik motifs, dance, and even the costumes paraded during Banyuwangi Ethno Carnival often lean on stories like this one, reminding new generations where their courage comes from. In fact, BEC 2026 has chosen Perang Bayu as its theme this year, turning this very history into a street performance for the world to see.
Understanding Puputan Bayu is not just a history lesson. It is a way of understanding why Banyuwangi's culture carries the weight it does, and why its people take such pride in preserving it.
Pertanyaan yang Sering Diajukan
Apa yang dimaksud dengan Puputan Bayu?
Puputan adalah istilah yang menggambarkan perlawanan hingga titik darah penghabisan, di mana para pejuang memilih terus bertempur daripada menyerah. Bayu merupakan nama desa tempat pertempuran tersebut terjadi, sehingga Puputan Bayu dapat diartikan sebagai "perlawanan terakhir di Bayu".
Kapan Puputan Bayu terjadi?
Rangkaian peristiwa berlangsung sepanjang tahun 1771, dengan puncak pertempuran terjadi pada 18 Desember 1771. Bentrokan dalam skala lebih kecil masih berlanjut hingga tahun 1772 sebelum perlawanan akhirnya berhasil dipadamkan.
Siapa yang memimpin perlawanan dalam Puputan Bayu?
Pemimpin utama perlawanan adalah Mas Rempeg yang kemudian dikenal sebagai Pangeran Jagapati. Ia melanjutkan perjuangan setelah Pangeran Wong Agung Wilis ditangkap dan diasingkan oleh VOC.
Mengapa masyarakat Blambangan berperang melawan VOC?
Setelah menguasai ibu kota Blambangan pada tahun 1767, VOC memberlakukan kerja paksa, pajak yang tinggi, dan kebijakan yang menyebabkan krisis pangan. Kondisi tersebut mendorong masyarakat melakukan perlawanan.
Di mana lokasi Pertempuran Puputan Bayu?
Pertempuran berlangsung di Desa Bayu, Kecamatan Songgon, Kabupaten Banyuwangi, yang berada di lereng Gunung Raung. Kawasan Rowo Bayu yang berada di dekat lokasi tersebut kini dikenal sebagai salah satu situs bersejarah.
Berapa banyak orang yang terdampak akibat perang ini?
Perkiraan jumlah korban berbeda-beda, tetapi banyak sumber sejarah menyebutkan bahwa populasi Blambangan menurun dari sekitar 65.000 jiwa menjadi sekitar 5.000 hingga 8.000 jiwa akibat perang, perpindahan penduduk, dan wabah penyakit.
Apakah VOC juga mengalami kerugian?
Ya. Banyak perwira dan ratusan tentara VOC tewas atau terluka selama perang berlangsung. Selain itu, VOC juga harus menanggung biaya yang sangat besar untuk menjalankan operasi militer di Blambangan.
Mengapa tanggal 18 Desember penting bagi Banyuwangi?
Tanggal tersebut menandai puncak Pertempuran Puputan Bayu dan kemudian ditetapkan sebagai Hari Jadi Banyuwangi untuk mengenang perjuangan masyarakat Blambangan.
Apakah Rowo Bayu bisa dikunjungi wisatawan?
Ya. Rowo Bayu terbuka untuk umum dan sering dikunjungi wisatawan maupun masyarakat yang ingin mengenal sejarah Banyuwangi. Menggunakan jasa pemandu lokal akan membantu memahami latar belakang sejarah kawasan tersebut.
Bagaimana Puputan Bayu dikenang di Banyuwangi saat ini?
Puputan Bayu dikenang melalui peringatan Hari Jadi Banyuwangi, pertunjukan budaya, pementasan sejarah, serta berbagai acara kreatif seperti Banyuwangi Ethno Carnival.
Apa hubungan Puputan Bayu dengan BEC 2026?
Banyuwangi Ethno Carnival 2026 mengangkat tema Perang Bayu sebagai inspirasi utama. Kisah perjuangan tersebut ditampilkan melalui desain kostum, koreografi, dan pertunjukan teatrikal yang memperkenalkan sejarah Banyuwangi kepada masyarakat luas.
Apakah Puputan Bayu mirip dengan peristiwa puputan lainnya di Indonesia?
Ya. Istilah puputan juga dikenal dalam sejarah Bali, seperti Puputan Badung dan Puputan Margarana, yang sama-sama menggambarkan perlawanan hingga akhir melawan penjajah. Puputan Bayu memiliki semangat perjuangan yang serupa, meskipun terjadi di wilayah dan masa yang berbeda.
Pelajaran apa yang dapat dipetik generasi muda dari Puputan Bayu?
Selain sebagai peristiwa sejarah, Puputan Bayu mengajarkan nilai keberanian, ketangguhan, persatuan, serta pentingnya menjaga identitas budaya dan warisan leluhur.
Apakah ada buku atau referensi untuk mempelajari Puputan Bayu?
Ya. Beberapa sejarawan telah menulis mengenai peristiwa ini, termasuk karya yang mengacu pada Cornelis Lekkerkerker dan Hasan Ali. Museum Blambangan di Banyuwangi juga menjadi tempat yang tepat untuk mempelajari sejarah ini lebih dalam.
Apakah saya bisa mempelajari budaya Banyuwangi di Sekar Jagad?
Ya. Sekar Jagad Batik & Creative Hub di Banyuwangi menyediakan galeri batik khas Banyuwangi, kesempatan bertemu langsung dengan para perajin, serta workshop yang menghubungkan seni membatik dengan sejarah dan budaya daerah.