The march to purity of body and soul

The march to purity of body and soul

For Balinese, the ocean is a powerful place, capable of washing
clean not only man's soiled physical being but also purifying his
sordid soul. The ocean, in Hindu mythology, is the source of
Amrta, the Elixir of Life.

Toward the end of each Saka year, thousands of Balinese Hindus
conduct a religious march to the beach. Carrying with them temple
effigies and sacred objects, these devotees walk in their full
regalia to the uplifting tones of the Bleganjur traditional
orchestra.

Lightly touching the sea water with the tip of the sacred
objects, or their toes, is the first thing they do upon arrival
on the beach -- a symbolic act of purifying the objects, and
oneself, and of tapping into the supernatural spring of the
ocean.

After a sacrificial ritual and a collective prayer, holy water
of tirta, made of sea water, is sprinkled onto the devotees.

Known as Melasti or Melis, the ritual is believed to repurify
and recharge temple effigies and sacred objects with fresh
spiritual power. In fact, it is a ritual more for humans than for
the deities represented in the effigies. It is a march to purify
body and soul from defilement and attachment to material
possessions accumulated in the past year.

Through the march, the devotee prepares mentally for the
dawning silence of the new year, Nyepi, when everything comes to
a full-circle once again.

-- Text and photos by I Wayan Juniartha