Eka Buana rite brings harmony to the universe
Eka Buana rite brings harmony to the universe
By T. Sima Gunawan
DENPASAR (JP): Clad in traditional clothing, thousands of Hindu devotees flock to the Pura Besakih sanctuary every day to pray and volunteer for the Eka Buana ritual preparations.
The ritual, occurring only once every 100 years, started on Feb. 14 with a series of ceremonies to ask for blessings for the performance of the whole rituals that will end on April 26. The peak of the ritual will take place on March 20, when the moon and sun will line up above the Equator. President Soeharto, several cabinet ministers and some foreign ambassadors will attend.
A group of women were busy making beautiful ornaments from coconut leaves and flowers when The Jakarta Post visited Pura Besakih on Wednesday. Several men climbed over a huge bamboo structure, where offerings to the gods will be placed, covering it with black, red, yellow and white cloth.
Black is for Vishnu, Red for Brahma and yellow and white for Shiva. They are called the Trimurti, the three greatest gods worshiped by Hindus.
One of the most interesting ceremonies in the Eka Buana ritual is the melasti, or the purification of people and objects by means of water at Klotok Beach on March 16. Between 3,000 and 5,000 people are expected to take part in the ceremony. They will leave Pura Besakih at 10:00 a.m. and head to the beach 40 kilometers away. The melasti ceremony will start at 4:00 p.m. and will be followed by the purification of a sacred kris, the symbol of fire. The purification of the kris aims to revitalize the energy in the universe for the welfare of humankind.
On March 20, a spectacular ceremony to harmonize the universe will be performed at Pura Besakih. Tens of thousands of Hindus from all over the country will come to pray and seek blessings under the holy water.
Harmonizing the universe entails balancing the macrocosm and microcosm, according to Ida Bagus Gede Agastia, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Hindu Council.
"It is meant to bring welfare and peace to all humankind," Agastia told The Jakarta Post.
He said the universe is made up of five main elements: soil, water, fire, wind and ether, and five minor elements: smell, feeling, light, sight and sound. All these elements exist in harmony. Time, and also offensive human deeds, however, can disrupt the harmony.
"Therefore, we need to perform ceremonies to harmonize the elements which have formed this universe," he said. "Otherwise, something unexpected might happen."
There are two requirements for the performance of the ritual: the right time in accordance with the Hindu calendar, and the right place.
"We chose Pura (temple) Besakih because it is the center of the universe," he said.
Pura Besakih, which was built in 913 A.D. on Mount Agung is the biggest sanctuary in Bali. There are 18 temples in the temple perched 900 meters above sea level.
March 21, the last day of the Saka year, is the Hindu Day of Silence, when all Hindus will stay at home to meditate.
The majority of the three million Balinese practice Hinduism, a unique society in a country dominated by Moslems.
The Eka Buana ritual is the follow up to the Eka Dasa Rudra cosmic purification ritual held in 1979. Like Eka Buana, the Eka Dasa Rudra ritual is performed every 100 years.
Controversy
The government fully supports the performance of Eka Buana, but this has led to controversy.
An expert on Hinduism, Nyoman Gelebet, said recently that the Eka Buana ritual should be held in 1998, not 1996. He alleges that political motives and private interests are behind the decision to perform the ceremony this year.
Prof. I Gusti Ngurah Bagus of Udayana University's School of Letters, dismisses the importance of timing.
"What's important is how to make the best of the ritual, which costs a lot of time and money, so that it will not become meaningless," he told the Post on a separate occasion.
He hoped that the ritual, which all together will cost around Rp 350 million, will be more than a series of formalities.
"What we need is reform. As we are entering the new Saka year, we expect a new and better life. There must be improvement in all fields, including in the rituals," he said.
According to Prof. Ngurah Bagus, some traditions have become obsolete and should be discarded, such as calculations to decide the best days for a wedding, funeral and other important activities. He disagrees with the Hindu Council ban on cremation ceremonies during Eka Buana.
He wants more intensive education about the Hindu religion for the younger Balinese.
Although people practice the rituals, most of them do not have sufficient knowledge about the religion, Ngurah Bagus said. Without strong understanding they will not understand the analytical process, which is an important foundation of faith, he said.
Agastia, who was Ngurah Bagus' student, said Hindus might not understand the details of all rituals. He does not see any problem with this, just as long as they have faith.
He agrees that some ceremonies could be trimmed to the people's financial ability. For example, in cremation services, people do not have to provide the guests with food or make lavish ornaments.
Agastia strongly opposes abolishing the practice of forecasting good days for certain activities, like a funeral. He defends the council's decision to stop cremations during Eka Buana. Cremation, he said, is against the philosophy behind the ritual because the smoke could pollute the air and infect the sacredness of the ritual.
"We should not neglect the rites of any ritual," he said.