WHEN
May 30, 2018 (Galungan) and June 9, 2018
(Kuningan)
WHERE
The rituals and festivities take place at the
many temples around Bali. The best place
to see the Kuningan celebrations is at the
Sakenan Temple on Serangan Island
HOW
Taxis can take you around the island
DOS AND DON’TS- Do respect the local religious traditions
when visiting temples - Don’t step on the offerings lining the streets
EXPERIENCE
GALUNGAN AND
KUNINGANGalungan commemorates the triumph
of Dharma (good) over Adharma (evil) –
a victory that involved Indra, the Hindu
god of thunder, and the Balinese king
Mayadenawa, who denied his people
the right to Hindu worship. Battles
raged, but given Mayadenawa’s
supernatural powers to transform
himself into animals and objects, no
one could defeat the evil king, until
Indra stepped in.
Defeated, Mayadenawa fled into the
jungle, trying to obscure his footprints,
but he was pursued and killed by one
of Indra’s magic arrows. Today, the site
where he died – a freshwater spring –
is where the Tirta Empul Temple is
situated; the temple’s name translates
to “slanting footprints”; the Balinese
honour the defeat of evil Mayadenawa
through Galungan.
FESTIVAL MUST-SEE: GALUNGAN AND KUNINGAN
Indonesia
Nyepi – the Balinese “Day of
Silence” – is the biggest festival on the
island, but Galungan is more vibrant.
It also marks the time when ancestral
spirits return to Earth. The streets are
lined with bamboo poles decorated
with coconut leaf decorations and
fruits, signifying Indra’s success in
upholding Hinduism and wisdom.
Devotees in colourful traditional
clothing make offerings of fruits and
flowers at temples and family shrines
all over the island.
The last day of the celebration is
Kuningan, when the dead return to the
spirit world. To mark the end of the
festival, devotees make offerings of
yellow turmeric rice. A series of sacred
dance performances and rituals are
then performed, concluding the ten-
day festival.INDONESIABali63