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Liberation Through Fire: Cremations in Bali
| Article
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14393 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
6 / 1988 |
4,119 Words |
| Author
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Carol Simowitz
Carol Simowitz is a free-lance photographer and writer. |
Bali has been called the Island of Temples. One of the smallest islands in the Indonesian archipelago, Bali has at least 20,000 temples for a population of three million people. Over 95 percent of the population practices the Balinese form of the Hindu religion.
Hinduism first appeared in Bali as early as the seventh century A.D., when Chinese traders and Indian literati visited the island. It flourished especially when, in the sixteenth century, Bali became a haven for Hindu refugees after Islam triumphed over Hinduism in nearby Java. The Balinese form of the religion is a mixture of Hinduism (particularly of the Saivite sect), Buddhism, Malay ancestor worship, animism, and magical beliefs and practices. Because of the mass migration of rulers, priests, intellectuals, artists, and dancers from Java to Bali, Hindu-Javanese culture has flourished there even to this day.
The Hindu refugees developed their own unique form of religion and customs. On the surface the Balinese religion appears to be based on the traditional teachings of Hinduism, but in reality it is more closely aligned to native Balinese animism. Primitive Balinese believed in a plethora of protective gods and evil spirits. To maintain a good relationship with these supernatural beings, temple offerings, sacrificial rites, and elaborate cremations were frequently performed to appease the deities and demons.
Balinese life revolves around religion. The people are constantly appeasing angry gods or thanking beneficent deities for good fortune. There are gods for every aspect of life: sun gods, rain gods, rice gods, market gods, harvest gods, gods of life, and gods of
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