|
|
|
Ceremonies and Events
Because so many gods, regencies, and old Bali clans are represented here, there's always something going on. About 70 rituals are held regularly at Besakih's different shrines, with banners representing each god hung on or near the temple and long lines of women walking up the terraces, their heads piled high with offerings. A visit to the sanctuaries of Besakih is a special pilgrimage each Balinese must undertake periodically. They return with holy water for use in ceremonies back home. A visit to Besakih is also required to properly consecrate the soul of a dead relative as a family god in the house temple. Each of Besakih's temples has its own 'odalan' (temple festival), and on the full moon of the 10th lunar month, vast crowds pack the entire compound to celebrate the visit of the gods (turun kabeh); this rite also commemorates Besakih's founding. During Galungan, enormous throngs of pilgrims turn Besakih into a hive of activity. An important island-wide Water Opening ceremony also occurs here, long-nailed priests dramatically gesticulating, sprinkling holy water, and ringing tinkling bells. The most majestic event is held only once every 100 years, the spectacular Eka Desa Rudra, a purification ceremony in which harmony and balance in people and nature are restored in all 11 directions. The rite last occurred in March 1963, some 16 years before the proper date, apparently because Sukarno wished to impress a convention of travel agents. Midway through the opulent ceremony, Gunung Agung began to shower the whole area with ash and smoke, finally exploding in its most violent eruption in 600 years. Earthquakes toppled temples, hot ash ignited thatched roofs, volcanic debris rained upon the earth. As the molten lava moved toward them, Hindu priests prayed frantically, hoping to appease the angry gods, assuring worshippers they had nothing to fear. In the end, 1,600 Balinese were killed and 86,000 left homeless. The Balinese don't take such extraordinary coincidences lightly; the catastrophe was attributed to the wrath of the god Shiva in his most evil aspect as Rudra. It ultimately became a damning judgment on the entire Sukarno era. Miraculously, the flaming lava flowed around Besakih, sparing most of the temple, though shrouding it with black ash for month. The ceremony was held again in 1979, this time on a Saka year and with all the proper officiating. The sacrifice of an elephant, a tiger, an eagle, and 77 other animals seemed to do the trick-Eka Desa Rudra was completed without incident, and Besakih reestablished its place as the principal Hindu sanctuary in Indonesia. |
|
| Copyright © 2012, Bali-Island.com Indonesia |