Source: Jakarta Post
LANGKAT, INDONESIA, March 21, 2003: Stepping back in time to a civilization hundreds of years old, descendants of Balinese Hindus who left Bali after Mount Agung erupted in 1961 have settled in a hamlet called Hamlet Bingei Village. Approximately 30 families have built homes featuring traditional Hindu architectural style and maintained their forefathers’ culture. Wayan Mangku Digejen, Hindu priest for the village, is 75 years old and is proud that the hamlet has two temples, Alet Widie Nate and Panitaan Agung. A religious rite called Purnama Tilem is performed every 15 days and villagers observe the Hindu holy days of Balongan, Kuningan and Nyepl. Ketut Sate, head of the hamlet says, “Religious rites in this hamlet show great dynamism.” He also added that the village has appealed to the Langkat administration for permission to conduct cremation rites.