Indonesian Hindus welcome Murugan to Java

Java, Indonesia: Mahakumbhabhishekam rituals took place to inaugurate Jakarta’s Murugan Temple, (Shri Sanathana Dharma Aalayam) @jktmurugantemple this February. At 400 square meters, this is Indonesia’s first temple dedicated to Murugan. Built with a towering 40-meter high Rajagopuram (entrance tower), it is now Indonesia’s largest temple built in the Dravida style of architecture (native to Southern Bharat). 

Home of the world’s 5th largest Hindu population, the 4.7 million Indonesian Hindus account for just 1.7% of the overall population. Hinduism arrived in Indonesia over 1,000 years ago when traders from Bharat landed in Java. After the local Javanese population adopted Hindu Dharma, unique traditions of Javanese Hinduism evolved from the fusion of Indian and local animistic practices. With the arrival of Islam in the 13th century, Hinduism became a minority religion. Though Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Muslim population, Hindu traditions, symbols and Sanskrit remain an important facet of Indonesia’s national identity. Today, the majority of the country’s Hindus are indigenous Indonesians, and the largest concenration (87%) are located in Bali. This new temple serves the small Indian Hindu population, who are largely descendants of colonial-era migrants from India.