Bali Culture

The nickname of Bali
          Island of the Gods and demons is not "by accident: religion shapes the life on the island in every possible way. The daily food offerings to the ancestors of the cockfight as the beginning of temple festivals, the dance of a young girl or the ritual cremation - the belief expressed colorful, sensual, and versatile. The volcanoes are gods seats and are revered as such. Even the Balinese king once named after the Badung Agung, the sacred mountain. Under the title of Dewa Agung dynasty ruled its several centuries of Bali. A coincidence? Or guided by the gods?
          Bali with its neighboring island of Lombok only Hindu enclave outside India. But not only that: In Indonesia, most Muslims live in the world. Nevertheless, the Balinese Hinduism was the only religion until today - although here far away from his Indian roots: Once upon Indian traders brought Hinduism to Indonesia. In Java, he mingled with Buddhism and indigenous religions. From there, he came through the marriage of a Javanese princess with a Balinese heir to Bali. Arriving at Bali, the Javanese belief mixed with the ancient animism and ancestor worship. Thus developed over time the so-called Hindu Dharma religion, to profess today 94 percent of the Balinese.
            Still the belief formed at the spirituality of nature and the worship of ancestors at the heart of Balinese religion. This is reflected especially in the still existing practice of trance dances and demons victims. The religious life of a Balinese is mainly determined by many everyday rituals. These serve to bring the faithful in accordance with the cosmos and its divine principles. Since man is between the cosmic Poland, he must maintain the harmony, uniformity. Therefore bring the faithful both to the gods and the demons daily offerings dar. The gifts are made with painstaking work - from the rice grain up to the elaborately decorated dining victims.
           In addition to the deities is the belief in the rebirth of a strong heritage of Hinduism. Unlike in India, Balinese believe, however, to be reborn in his own clan. As in the Indian model determined in the Balinese religion is Karma the rank of the regenerate. The aim of the eternal cycle of life and death is to achieve the union of the soul with the supreme god by a virtuous life as possible.
            In Bali reign Hindu deities. Supreme gods are Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer and restorer. Together they form the holy trinity. Besides them, there are countless other deities - responsible for fertility, happiness, wisdom, and much more. For every situation there is a competent God. All of them are only manifestations of the one true God, Sang Hyang Widi Wasa.
         Bali is often called the "Island of the 10,000 temples. Realistically, there are about twice as many temples and shrines - except for the family temple with their ancestral shrines. Each village has only been three temples: the temple of origin, the village temple and the temple of the underworld. District for this purpose are temples and temples of the rice cooperatives. The old dynasties had the reach and state temple. But that's not enough, adds to this the Balinese pura, which is accessible only on feast days by the faithful. Only when the gods come to visit these temples are festively decorated and equipped with rich offerings.
          You can visit the temple any time, but here you should follow some rules. Without the traditional scarf Selendang to enter is prohibited, but these can be rented at the entrance. People with bleeding wounds and women during their menstrual period may also not enter the temple, as blood desecrated the temple.