Full moon ritual at Besakih

Full moon ritual at Besakih

DENPASAR: Balinese Hindus celebrate the annual religious festival
of Bhatara Turun Kabeh on Thursday. The festival is held in the
island's largest and holiest temple of Besakih on the slopes of
Mount Agung.

The ritual falls on Purnama Kadasa (full moon in the tenth
month of the Balinese calendar), a day often described by the
island's ancient sages as having the clearest sky and the
brightest moon in the whole year.

The Bhatara Turun Kabeh festival, which comprises several
elaborate, colorful, sacrificial and purification rituals, will
start in the morning and continue through the day. It will
involve thousands of Hindu devotees from all corners of the
island. --JP