Samuderamatana or the Great Battle, is a Hindu ritual which takes place before the annual Day of Silence. Delivering the richness and the harmony of the Hindunese culture, plates piled high with offerings are brought to the temple of Prambanan in Central Java to be blessed by the gods. Klaten, Indonesia. 15/03/2010.
March 15th 2010, the Hindunese gathered together in front of Prambanan temple, Central Java - Indonesia. The temple it self was built by the Hindunese at 8th century AD and stands still untill now. Nyepi Day is a day where Hindunese dont doing anything and stay in their house for the whole day. That day they dont light a fire or turn the lights on (amati geni), not doing anything (amati karya), not traveling around (amati lelungan) and not to make any sounds (amati lelanguan). This 'four commandments' also know as Catur Brata.
The ceremony is a processional one, it started with dancings, then the 'Ogoh Ogoh' procession or giant dolls that represent Satanic/Titans called 'Bhuta Kala', and the crops that need to be blessed by the Gods through the parsons. At the end these crops that consists of fruits, vegetables, rice, and cakes will returned and sometimes they share it with others on that place including photographers and other journalists and even to the tourists. I got an boiled egg though.
Samuderamatana is a batle for the holly water betwen the Gods and the Titans. This holly water then would be used as the main elements for soul purification for the Hindunese. They believed that the holly water will washes away the six sins or 'Sad Ripu' which are: Kama (sexual desire), Lobha (greed), Krodha (anger), Madha (drunkenness), Moha (confusions) and Matsarya (envies). Samuderamatana is about mixing the sea of milks (Ksira Arnawa) by rounding the mount Mandara by the Titans and the Gods to get the holly water or 'Tirta Amerta'.
The story told that, inside the human world (Bhuwana Alit) there are two sides; goodness and bad. The good side appears to be the Gods symbol and Titans for the bad. IF the universe (Bhuwana Agung) ruled by the goodness (Gods) then it would be a peacefull place, nirvana. But if the universe ruled by the Titans, it would be a disaster for man kind. When Gods and Titans fought, came out 'halahala' from the sea of milk on the first time. It is a deadly poison. And then 'Hyang Siwa' (Siva) came up and swalowed the poison so that the Gods and Titans saved.
In the end of the batle the Gods win and mankind once more life in a peacefull world. The Hindunese on this ritual celebrating the defeat of the Titans by burning the giant dolls or what they called 'Ogoh Ogoh' down.
But that is not the end of the whole procession. The parsons took the holly blessed water and give it to the Hindunese that gathered there. They drink it and using to wash their head, hands and face to purifying their soul and mind from the six sins that mentioned before. Latter then they're hurry to get the blessed corps and bring it back to their home and share the blessing to the member of the family.
