​

​Jaranan is a unique art and very popular in the district of Kediri, dancers alley waiting horse made of woven bamboo, and accompanied by gamelan music, some of the other dancers use the form “caplokan” and wild boar. In Jaranan there is an attraction that is much-loved by the audience, one of which is when the player is experiencing trance and shows the attractions that can not be rationalized. Jaranan art began to emerge from the 10th century Hijri, precisely in the year 1041.

​

The legend behind “Jaranan”
Dewi Sangga Langit was a daughter of King Airlangga who is so pretty and beautiful, and because of it a lot of men wanted to propose to her. Unfortunately, Dewi Sangga Langit herself actually did not intend to get married because she wanted to be a hermit, but King Airlangga forced her to marry. Dewi Sangga Langit finally decided to make a contest and would marry with one condition, that is to marry someone who can create new art that did not exist in Java at the time.
The news came to King Klono Swandono. Then he asks for inspirations to the god and he got a piece of bamboo, iron plates and a whip named Samandiman Whip, and from bamboo was made a Kuda Kepang as a symbol of a bridge, while Tetabuhan was made of iron. After that, King Klono Swandono, with Pujonggo Anom, was eligible to marry Dewi Sangga Langit, they departed with a convoy of the show and became public spectacle of Kediri. Since then, Kediri citizens started calling it Jaranan.