30^th October 2021 – Sukmawati Sukranoputri, the daughter of Indonesian first President, has re-converted from Islam to Hinduism on 26^th October 2021. She embraced Hinduism in a formal ceremony called ‘Sudhi Wadani’ which took place at a temple in Bale Agung Singaraja in the city of Bali, Indonesia. The photos and videos of the grand ceremony have rocked the internet.

The ceremony was attended by close family members of the Sukarno family among existing COVID-19 restrictions in the nation. It was reported that Sukmawati, the founder of the Indonesian National Party and sister of the country’s fifth president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, decided to become a Hindu because her Balinese grandmother had been a devotee. The private ceremony coincided with Sukmawati’s 70^th birthday.

Historically, ‘Sudhi Wadani’ is Javanese-Hindu purification ceremony consisting of multiple purification rituals conducted by the Hindu priests. The first ritual, Melukat, cleanses the bodies and souls. Next ritual is to do offerings, Taman Gembal, at the temple. During the rituals, Narayan mantras are recited by the priests of the temples. In July 2017, the Princess of Java, Kanjeng Raden Ayu Mahindrani Kooswidyanthi Paramasi, had converted to Hinduism. The Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI) has assisted many in Indonesia to re-convert to Hinduism. Indonesia is a pre-dominantly Muslim-majority country where Hindu population is just under 2%. Most of the Hindu population resides in Bali where Hindus are in majority at about 87%.

It is equally interesting to read the ‘Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East’ by Dr. R.C. Majumdar which explains in detail on how Hinduism captured and made colonies outside of India.