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