Kuningan is the second largest of a series of festivals held twice a year to celebrate the victory of Dharma (virtue) against Adharma (vice). Kuningan falls ten days after the celebration of Galungan, the largest festival.

Galungan and Kuningan commemorate the victory of the heavenly army led by Lord Indra in the military campaign against Bali's atheist ruler King Mayadenawa.

"Galungan is the day of victory, the day for joyous celebration, while Kuningan is the day of a renewed pledge, the day of declare allegiance to the gods and commitment to steadfastly defend the precepts of Dharma,"

The ancient temple of Sakenan, some 20 kilometers east of Denpasar, is the island's most popular Kuningan's pilgrimage site. In the old days, people had to walk across a shallow body of water or board a small boat to reach Serangan, the tiny island that hosts the temple, but now a wide, two-lane road and a concrete bridge connect the island with mainland Bali.

People started heading to the island early in the morning, resulting in a traffic jam and a long queue in front of the temple's main gate.

The male devotees were mostly dressed in white shirts, batik sarongs and white destar (a headscarf), while female devotees wore colorful kebaya and batik sarongs. The women also carried colorful offerings of fruits, cakes, flowers and incenses.

Serangan island and Sakenan temple, were closely connected to two of Bali's great sages; Danghyang Astapaka and Danghyang Nirartha. The latter was the founder of the social and religious structure that still survives today. "That's another reason why people from all over Bali come to this place on Kuningan," (JP-IW)