Hindus to attend ritual at Prambanan

SEMARANG: At least 50,000 Hindus from Central Java and Yogyakarta are to attend the Tawur Agung Sasih Kesanga rite centered at the Prambanan temple in Klaten, Central Java, on Wednesday.

The official in charge of Hindus at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Kasiyanto, told Antara Monday that the rite aims to "return to the harmony of nature of the cosmic order."

Through the rite, he said, it is hoped that Hindus entering the Saka New Year can be free of negative influences.

Similar rites will be performed at 140 temples across Central Java, Kasiyanto said. March 18 marks Hindu's Seclusion Day (Nyepi), a national holiday.

From Sunday to Tuesday Hindus are also performing the melasti/mekiyis, a ritual to cleanse worship sites and facilities, among other things. Rites to mark Nyepi, in which Hindus refrain from all activities, will last through Friday, Kasiyanto said.