Hundreds mark Nyepi at temple in Jakarta

Hundreds of Hindus marked Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu day of silence, at Pura Aditya Jaya temple in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, on Saturday.

In his sermon, Hindu high priest Pedanda Brahmacarya Bhargawa Chaitanya said that the congregation must control their lust for worldly possessions because it could bring anxiety, anger and fear if those possessions went missing.

“A simple lifestyle must be implemented,” he added.

The religious procession previously began with the melasti ritual at Pura Segara in Cilincing, North Jakarta, during which priests symbolically cleaned religious symbols and wares in the sea. The melasti ritual was followed by a parade of giant effigies called ogoh-ogoh at the National Monument.