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Govardhan Puja and Diwali: Festivities of love and harmony
The exuberant Govardhan Puja festival and Diwali mean so much more to the Hindu community in Jakarta than just being traditional religious celebrations.
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A celebration: A Hindu woman dances during Diwali. (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)
T
he exuberant Govardhan Puja festival and Diwali mean so much more to the Hindu community in Jakarta than just being traditional religious celebrations.
A plethora of twinkling candles and flickering oil lamps illuminated every corner of the Sri Nilacala Dharma temple in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, in the evening of Oct. 29, casting a glowing light over a large variety of vegetarian food that Hindus offered to Lord Krishna as a sign of gratitude.
The foods –– ranging from fruits and fried snacks to traditional cakes –– were arranged in a mountain-shaped pile. They were consecrated by the Hindus who sat cross-legged on the floor embellished with Rangoli (artistic patterns of colored sand and rice believed to bring fortune).
On that evening, they celebrated the Govardhan Puja, a Hindu festival that functions as remembrance for Hindus to always take refuge in Krishna, who always protects them.
The Nilacala temple opened its doors for non-Hindus to watch the festival, during which the Hindus not only prayed but also sang and danced in Indian traditional dresses.
Available also was a huge array of mouth-watering Indian culinary delights that boasted unique flavors, such as roti (round flatbread), laddoo (sphere-shaped sweet), gulab jamun (milk-solid-based sweet) and marukku (crunchy, savory snack).
