Bali Tourism News

Hinduism a throbbing everyday reality for Balinese

January 2nd, 2008

Bali, Jan 1 - Sukendra places fresh flowers on a small banana leaf platter, lights incense sticks and sticks them to the edge, prays for a few minutes, and keeps the platter on the pavement outside his home in this tourist paradise in southeastern Indonesia. He does this thrice a day, every day.He is one of 2.7 million Hindus in this Indonesian island who practise their religion more regularly than one would see in most parts of India. In any of the 11,000 temples, it is a fascinating riddle for an Indian visitor to pick out Sanskrit words in the local hymns and try to figure out who is being worshipped, as the deity is usually underground, out of sight except on special days.Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country in the world. Of its 245.5 million people, 88 percent are Muslims and a little over one percent Hindus.But the demography changes in the little island of Bali - 140 km from east to west and 80 km from north to south - where over 90 percent of its three million people are Hindus.The practices are a unique mix of Hindu, Buddhist, Javanese and local religious customs, started since Hinduism first came to this island in 400 AD, but developed after the Hindu kings of eastern Java - Indonesia’s main island - were defeated by a Muslim kingdom in the early 16th century and the entire court shifted to Bali.It was a bit of a special day in the Tanjung Benoa neighbourhood - a resident was moving into his new house. All neighbours were gathering at the local temple with offerings of fruits and flowers, and then carrying it on their heads to the new house.That action was at one edge of the temple complex - the main area was reserved for the stage where there were dancers, with an orchestra of xylophone players on one side.The fathers and grandfathers in the audience wore small white turbans - the colour signifying that they were going to the temple. The mothers and grandmothers were loud in their appreciation of one stylised movement after another.Down the road, Sukendra stood at the entrance to the restaurant where he works, trying to lure diners inside. The open-air walled-in eatery had statues of Hindu gods in prominent niches, all with offerings of fresh flowers and incense.He is a tourist guide during the day, with a special spiel for an Indian visitor. ‘I’ll take you to temples where you’ll be able to see how the culture of India thrives here.’It was thriving right in the middle of the holiday crush in Kuta beach, the epicentre of tourism on the island. As the tourists bathed, sunbathed, drank and shopped in the minutes before dusk, a large group of locals knelt on the sand, praying to Varuna, the god of the seas, as a bearded patriarch led the chant over a microphone.Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/

Entry Filed under: Bali Tourism News