Sukmawati Soekarnoputri Will Undergo A Religious Conversion Ritual

DENPASAR - Sukmawati Soekarnoputri will undergo the ritual of converting from Islam to Hinduism. The ritual will be held at the Sukarno Center Heritage Area in Bale Agung Singaraja, Buleleng Regency, Bali, on Tuesday, October 26.

"Yes, that's right. The event will be in Bali on October 26, 2021, next Sunday," said Arya Wedakarna, head of the Sukarno Center in Bali and the person in charge of the event, when contacted, Friday, October 22.

Arya Wedakarna admitted that he was appointed by Sukmawati to help organize the Sudhi Wadhani ceremony or the inauguration ceremony and ratification of the words or promises of someone who sincerely and with a pure heart declares that he adheres to Hinduism.

"So we help and the preparations are good and it's just a matter of implementation later. But in principle, we renamed the Sudhi Wadhani ceremony to Hinduism. Mrs. Sukmawati returned to Hinduism based on ancestral instructions, based on a fairly high spiritual process that took quite a long time. So it was finally decided," he said.

In addition, his party also conveyed that Sukmawati Soekarnoputri's transfer to Hinduism had gone through an approval process with her family.

"Be it, the family of his sons and daughters are the main ones and also his relatives. Mrs. Megawati, Mrs. Rachmawati, the late, Mr. Guntur. Everything is in the process, so it's just an event like that," he said.

Arya Wedakarna said Sukmawati's move to Hinduism was her right to be able to return to her ancestral religion. Because, according to him, Sukmawati's grandmother, Ida Ayu Nyoman Rai Srimben, is from Singaraja, Buleleng Regency, Bali, and is Hindu.

"Because her grandmother Nyoman Rai Srimben from Singaraja is also a Hindu. So she (Sukmawati) also wants her place not in Jakarta but in Bali. But in Bali, the Great Hall is the place of her ancestor, Bung Karno's mother, Nyoman Rai Sirimben," he said.

Sukmawati's decision to embrace Hinduism is called Arya Wedakarna and has gone through a long process. So far, Sukmawati often discusses with priests, monks and stakeholders and likes to read Hindu scriptures.

"I'm a witness to his struggle. Seeing him, it seems like all this time he likes Hinduism and Bali. Always asks to come to Pura, for decades and likes to read Hindu scriptures. Likes to discuss with monks, priests, our owners," he said.

"And he also prays daily using Hindu means. Maybe in 2021 he will only get spiritual instructions to return to Hinduism. I also had time to ask if Mrs. (Sukmawati) was ready, whether her family agreed and she said she was ready and I asked to prepare all events," said Wedakarna.