The tribal Hindus of Indonesia worship Shri Ganesh on a volcano

Jakarta (Indonesia) – A religious festival called ‘Yadnya Kasada’ is celebrated here since ancient times. The Hindu tribals of the Tengar community of Indonesia go to Mount Bromo, a volcano in Probolinggo, East Java for ritualistic worship. There, the tribals worship Shri Ganesh. They offer food grains, vegetables, animals, and birds in the volcanic crater to please the Deity. They believe that meat and rice should be offered to appease the negative energy (devil). By these offerings as ‘Prasad’, the volcano does not erupt and the people remain safe. (There is no organisation like Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANiS) in Indonesia, otherwise, they would have protested and demanded action against these Hindu rituals. – Editor)

An estimated population of 1 lakh people of the Tengar tribes, who consider themselves Hindu, live in 30 villages around Mount Bromo. They believe themselves to be the descendants of the last ruler of the Indian dynasty in Indonesia, Majapahit Prince. They still live in the forest and consume vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Apart from Hinduism, they also believe in Buddhism. Along with Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh, Bhagwan Buddha is also worshiped by them.