Indonesian Buddhists celebrate Waisak at Borobudur

Magelang, Central Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s Buddhist community celebrated their holy day of Waisak in many parts of the country on Tuesday.

The biggest celebrations took place at Borobodur and Mendut temples in Magelang District, Central Java.

Around 15,000 Buddhists from Central Java, West java, Jakarta, East Java, Kalimantan, Bali and Sulawesi flocked to Mendut and Borobudur temples to observe the birth of Sidharta Gautama, the chairman of the organizing committee of the Indonesian Grand Sangha Conference (KASI) Waisak 2008 Sugiyanto said here on Tuesday.

"At least 15,000 Buddhists are attending the celebration here, we have provided around 28,000 bottles of scared water up to now (at about 11.30 am local time), and all have been distributed to the congregation ," he said.

The Waisak day marks the eighth day of the fourth month in the Chinese lunar calendar and celebrations take place at Buddhist temples throughout Java.

After meditation, the Buddhists walked a distance of around three kilometers from Mendut Temple to Borobodur Yemple , passing Pawon Temple on the way.

"We give priority to make this ritual more sacred, because in the past Mendut and Borobudur temples were actual Buddhist shrines," he said.

Borobudur , one of the world`s largest ancient Buddhist temples, was chosen as the center of the Waisak celebration in order to preserve the temple which has been named as a world cultural heritage, he said.

The spectacular Buddhist monument was built in the ninth century and provides a fitting backdrop for the occasion.

Waisak celebrations were also held among other things in Pangkalpinang (Bangka Belitung), Palu (Central Sulawesi), Denpasar (Bali), and Semarang (Central Java). (*) end