In Search of Holy Water: A Hindu Pilgrimage to Mount Rinjani in Lombok, Indonesia

Volker Gottowik (University of Heidelberg)

Every year at the beginning of the rainy season, the active volcano Mount Rinjani attracts some hundred Hindu-Balinese pilgrims, who live in the western part of Lombok or arrive from the neighboring island of Bali. In the course of an altogether six-day journey, these pilgrims trek to the crater lake Segara Anak, where they pray for sufficient rain, while a small delegation climbs the peak of Mount Rinjani (3700m) to sacrifice to the Hindu gods and fetch holy water. In this context, a local deity, Dewi Anjani, receives special veneration from precious offerings dropped into the middle of the lake. The spatial proximity to the gods, indicated through the densification of essential elements like fire, water and smoke, requires a particular behavioral code at the pilgrimage site, which goes beyond dress and food. Despite the explicit removal of the pilgrims from the conveniences of modern life, this behavioral code does not cover the use of modern technologies at the lake. Loudspeakers, computers, mobile phones etc. find their way to the pilgrimage site and cut across the expectations of the western researcher who has prepared himself for silent meditations in the midst of nature. However, according to the Hindu-Balinese pilgrims, this technical equipment does not violate the dignity of the place, but is rather well integrated into the ritual process. Against this background, the focus of this paper is on local concepts of space and spirituality which allow the pilgrims to appropriate achievements of modernity without challenging their overall ambitions, i.e. to be close to the Gods and to receive holy water.