RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Around 1,500 Hindus gathered at the Paljaya Fishing Port area in Tarumajaya, Bekasi Regency, West Java, to perform the Melasti ceremony on Sunday, March 15, 2026. This year, the procession took place at the Jembatan Cinta Muara Tawar bridge in Segarajaya Village.

Melasti is a Hindu ritual of self-purification and the consecration of sacred objects (pratima), performed at water sources such as the sea or a lake before Nyepi Day. The ritual symbolizes cleansing personal impurities (bhuana alit) and the natural world (bhuana agung) from negative energy, welcoming the Saka New Year with purity.

Thousands of worshippers crowded the beach area from early morning, carrying ceremonial items from the Pura Agung Tirta Bhuana temple in Bekasi. The highlight of the procession was the Mendak Tirta ritual, in which holy water was collected from the middle of the sea using a boat, symbolizing purification of the body and the universe.

The solemn atmosphere was accompanied by Rejang Dewa and Rejang Sari dances, along with traditional Baleganjur music. “Melasti is not only a religious ritual but also conveys a message of unity and peace,” said Brig. Gen. (Ret.) I Made Riawan, Head of the Executive Board of the Indonesian Hindu Dharma Council (PHDI) for West Java Province.

Riawan explained that this year’s Melasti carried the theme Wasudewa Kutumbakam, meaning “we are all brothers and sisters. One earth, one family.” He added that the Paljaya Port area near Jembatan Cinta was chosen again because it could accommodate thousands of worshippers and represented the philosophy of water purity, the essence of the ritual.

West Java Governor’s Senior Advisor for Governance, Law, and Politics, Benny Bachtiar, attended the ceremony on behalf of Governor Dedi Mulyadi. “The Governor often emphasizes that developing West Java must begin with cultural roots. It is not only about physical progress but also inner peace and environmental sustainability,” Benny said.

A total of 300 students from Pasraman Tirta Bhuana in Bekasi also joined the procession. The head of Pasraman Tirta Bhuana, I Nyoman Suranta, said the students’ participation aimed to provide direct religious experience beyond the classroom.

“We encourage pasraman students to see Melasti as cultural education that must be preserved by the younger generation, while strengthening their knowledge and spirituality,” Suranta said. (Gusti Panji/Lasti Martina)