Jakarta. As many as 32 monks are walking from Thailand to the world’s largest Buddhist temple, the Borobudur in Magelang, Central Java.

The journey is part of the long-distance walk ritual thudong. In this ritual, the monks aim to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha during his lifetime when there were no monasteries, shelters, or transportation.

On Tuesday night the monks made a stop at the Liong Hok Bio temple in Magelang. Upon arriving, thousands of Magelang locals and lion dance performers (barongsai) welcomed the monks from their long trip. The people then washed the monks’ feet one by one.

The next morning, the monks performed the pindapata —a ritual in which the monks would make alms rounds— along the streets near the temple. They will then head for Borobudur. The monks, who have been traveling on foot, said they were touched by Indonesia’s religious tolerance.

“Hopefully, I can invite other monks to come here to Indonesia in the coming years. Judging by the people’s enthusiasm, many monks are touched by the tolerance in Indonesia,” Bhante Kathadamo or Wawan told Beritasatu on Monday.

The news has also sparked the curiosity of the other monks abroad.  

“I received calls from [other monks] in the UK, Japan, etc. They asked if the thudong really took place in Indonesia, and I said yes. They were asking, were it really Muslims that accompanied us? I also said yes. ‘Is it true that many of the donors are Muslims?’ And I said yes,” Wawan said.

“This is the true colors of Indonesia. They are friendly with anyone regardless of their race,” Wawan, who actually came from Cirebon, added.

The distance from Bangkok to Borobudur spans around 2,606 kilometers and takes about 60 days. The monks are traveling to Borobudur to celebrate Waisak on June 4.

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