T

housands of Hindus crammed into Tirta Empul temple in Tampaksiring, Gianyar, on Sunday for a self-purification ritual in conjunction with Saraswati, the day of praise for the goddess of knowledge.

Children and adults came to the temple in droves to conduct banyu pinaruh, a bathing ritual, which is performed to eliminate negative influences from their souls and ask for blessings from Saraswati.

The people gathered in a pond inside the temple to wash their bodies under small fountains. After completing the bathing ritual, they change clothes and perform prayers at another part of the temple.

The scorching midday sun did not stop the people from all corners of the island crowding into the area, about 37 kilometers east of Denpasar, creating traffic jams around the temple.

Putu Sudirta came all the way from Denpasar with his family to perform the ritual.

"We usually call this rite melukat, or cleansing ourselves of bad things," said the 35-year-old man.

"I came here because this place is special. It has a sanctified water source, which is believed to possess a spiritual power to purify ourselves."

Besides, he added, the current celebration of Saraswati is special since it coincides with the full moon. "The concurrence of these two special occasions rarely happens, about once every 17 years or so."

The banyu pinaruh ritual is commonly held in the morning, at beaches or other water sources, although some people only have time to come to the places at noon. It is conducted one day after Saraswati day, which falls every six months on the Balinese calendar, the Saniscara Umanis Watugunung.

On Saraswati day, Hindu people celebrate the knowledge bestowed by the goddess. Over the day they worship books and other symbols of knowledge by performing prayers and making offerings.

Students throughout Denpasar gathered at their schools on Saturday to join the celebration, including hundreds of students from Saraswati elementary school in North Denpasar. They gathered at the school yard to perform the prayers.

After completing the prayers, some students joined their teachers to worship at the school's library by splashing holy water on the books.

Similar celebration took place at the Puputan Badung field at the center of the capital, where middle and high school students congregated.

"The essence of this celebration is that the knowledge can be applied in a useful way to benefit many people," said Bali's Parisadha Hindu Dharma IGN Sudiana.

The celebration of Saraswati day also means strengthening spiritual knowledge, he added.