For foreign tourists visiting Bali, there is one traditional Balinese activity you must try: Melukat.
As you know, Bali’s appeal is not only its tourist attractions but also its culture. One of the Balinese cultures that is now becoming a popular tourist attraction is the melukat ritual.
Although this is a Balinese religious activity, foreign tourists can follow it as long as they do it with respect for the culture.
A video uploaded by @herecomesthegram clearly shows that the melukat ritual is being crowded by tourists.
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The ritual, which is traditionally a serene and peaceful experience, was unexpectedly transformed into a bustling scene, disrupting the solemnity that usually envelops the ritual.
What exactly is melukat?
Melukat comes from the Balinese word sulukat, where “su” means good and “lukat” means purification. The Melukat ceremony is one of the series in the Tirtayatra ritual of travelling to holy places.
In the Balinese Hindu tradition, water is revered as a sacred element, believed to possess the power to purify the soul and mind.
Melukat itself is a spiritual cleansing procession according to Hinduism, in which anyone can participate regardless of religion.
Usually, tourists do this to calm down and cleanse their souls from negativity. In addition to cleansing the soul from negativity, it can also be used to heal trauma.
5 Popular melukat places in Bali
If you are visiting Bali, here are some popular melukat places in Bali.
1. Pura Tirta Empul
Pura Tirta Empul is one of the temples in Bali that tourists often visit. This temple is known as a melukat place for tourists and locals.
2. Pura Tamba Waras in Tabanan
Pura Tamba Waras is located in Sangketan Village, Penebel District, Tabanan Regency. Tamba means medicine, and Waras means healing.
Based on the meaning of its name, Tamba Waras is indeed visited by many to ask for healing, both medical and non-medical. Many believe that this temple is the centre of healing in Bali.
3. Pura Tirta Sudamala
Tirta Sudamala is located in Banjar Sedit, Bebalang Village, Bangli District, Bangli Regency. This temple offers natural scenery in the form of rice fields combined with temples and holy springs.
Pura Tirta Sudamala has nine showers that are believed to circumambulate the Nawa Sanga Gods.
4. Pura Campuhan Widhu Segara in Denpasar
The location of Campuhan Windu Segara is the meeting of Padang Galak beach with Ayung river. Like other places, melukat at Campuhan Windu Segara is believed to cleanse oneself spiritually, including asking for the gift of safety and healing.
People who do melukat here will cleanse themselves with campuhan water where river and sea water meet.
5. Pura Mengening in Gianyar
At Mengening Tampaksiring, there are 10 springs, each channelled into a shower in the bathing pool. The community and tourists will use these showers for melukat.
Like melukat in general, melukat at Mengening Temple also aims to cleanse itself using water media. However, some testimonies say that melukat at Pura Mengening can treat insomnia.
