Quoted from Soe Hok Gie's book Once Again: Books, Parties, and Love in the Nature of the Nation written by Rudi Badil et al., there is an ancient book called Tantu Pagelaran which is believed to be from the 15th century. In it it is recorded that once the island of Java was bobbing on the ocean.
In the legend it is called, Batara Guru who is the sole ruler, asked the gods and giants to move Mount Mahameru in India as a nail on the island of Java so that it would not move. Mount Mahameru was then placed in the west of Java Island. However, because the eastern part of the island was tipped up, Mount Mahameru was finally moved to the east.
In the course of this transfer, Mount Mahameru scattered and formed other mountains on the island of Java. When Mount Mahameru was successfully placed in the east of Java Island, its position tilted to the north. So, it is said that the tip of the mountain was cut and the pieces were placed in the northwest.
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The piece of the mountain was named Mount Pawitra which is now known as Mount Penanggungan.
Dikutip dari buku Soe Hok Gie Sekali Lagi: Buku, Pesta, dan Cinta di Alam Bangsanya tulisan Rudi Badil dkk., ada kitab kuno bernama Tantu Pagelaran yang diyakini berasal dari abad ke-15. Di dalamnya dicatat bahwa suatu kala Pulau Jawa terombang-ambing di atas lautan.
Dalam legenda itu disebut, Batara Guru yang mana adalah penguasa tunggal, meminta para dewa dan raksasa untuk memindah Gunung Mahameru di India sebagai paku pada Pulau Jawa agar tidak bergerak. Gunung Mahameru kemudian diletakkan di barat Pulau Jawa. Namun, karena bagian timur pulau ini terjungkit ke atas, akhirnya Gunung Mahameru dipindahkan ke timur.
Dalam perjalanan pemindahan ini, Gunung Mahameru tercecer dan membentuk gunung-gunung lainnya di Pulau Jawa. Ketika Gunung Mahameru berhasil diletakkan di sebelah timur Pulau Jawa, posisinya miring ke arah utara. Sehingga, dikisahkan ujung gunung tersebut dipotong dan potongannya itu diletakkan di barat laut. Potongan gunung tersebut diberi nama Gunung Pawitra yang kini dikenal sebagai Gunung Penanggungan.