Balinese Hinduism
The religion practiced by the majority of Balinese is a local branch of Hinduism called Agama Hindu Dharma. Balinese Hinduism is an amalgam of indigenous beliefs, Buddhism and Shivaism of Indian origin. Hinduism is Shivaic while Buddhism belongs to the Tantric form of Buddhism known as the Great Vehicle which is found in China, Tibet, Korea and Japan. The nameAgama Hindu Dharma is the product of a recent rationalization of the religion, which was previously called Agama Tirta, or "religion of lustrous water", or Agama Siwabuddha, a mixture of Shivaism and Buddhism originating in classical Java. Indian philosophy provided the theological framework while indigenous beliefs provided the rituals. It is in the worship of the natural elements and the ancestors that the latter beliefs are most visible.
Nature is perceived as a "power" and each of its components is the emanation of one or more spirits that have their altars and are nourished by different offerings (sajen), made of local agricultural products. Another aspect of this animism appears in the role that the mountain plays as a refuge for the gods and ancestors. When a Balinese dies, the death ritual is signified as a "return home" to the "old country" above the mountain. As the origin of water is located in the volcanoes, from which comes the wrath of the gods, the mountain occupies the pole of purity, kaja, while the pole of impurity is kelod, the sea. This kaja-kelod axis determines the spatial organization of rites and architecture as well as the gestures of life: for example, one sleeps with one's head facing the mountain.
The ancestors and the gods thus continually keep contact with the living. Dances and offerings bring them down during temple festivals, where they are welcome, but they can also be called upon to manifest themselves through the supplications of a medium. The Balinese religion is known worldwide for the magnificence of its rituals.The conception of the existence
According to Hindu belief, every soul is subject to the principle of transmigration (samsara). Incarnation, which binds the soul to the body, is a hellish condition that everyone strives to break through to moksa, or ultimate enlightenment. In moksa, the individual soul and the body join their cosmic counterparts. For the soul, the divine soul, called paramatma, and for the body, the five primordial elements, namely fire, water, earth, air and ether.
The reincarnation of a human soul is both a human and a cosmic process. When a man and a woman make love, their union is the result of cosmic forces, of two principles, male(purusa) and female(pradana): they are thus part of the divine meeting of the love god Asmara and the moon goddess Ratih. In the sexual union, the red and white elements of desire(kama bang and kala petak) are united as symbols of sperm and ovum respectively. This cosmic union is accompanied by the descent of an ancestral soul from the mouth of hell or from its home above the mountain. From this process of fertilization the "little world"(bhwana alit) is created which is, as a human being, a combination of matter and spirit. All subsequent phases of life, from pregnancy to birth, from birth to death, and eventually from death to afterlife, will be accompanied by ritual ceremonies. The function of these rituals is to attach the soul to the body, before birth, and to welcome it into the world, then to accompany it throughout its existence, and finally to help it escape from earthly bonds and join the old country of origins where it will merge with the world soul(paramatma).The ritual offerings
Simple offerings are prepared every day (at least three times a day), while others are made for special occasions. These canang must be aesthetically pleasing and require a great expenditure of time and energy. Palm leaves are meticulously cut, woven and pinned together into decorative shapes(jejaitan). Multicolored rice cakes(jajan) are shaped into small sculptures and even into entire scenes with significant symbolism. In many ways, the offerings are an expression of Balinese art. An ordinary pula gembal has dozens of different rice paste figures in a palm leaf basket. In an important ceremony, such as an odalan , these figures form a spectacular cone that the Balinese women carry on their heads to the temple in huge processions. In addition to the canangs made by the community, each family brings its own. These offerings will take place in the temple according to their destination and function. Those dedicated to the gods and ancestors will be placed on high altars, arranged by the pemangku, and those offered to the devil will remain on the ground. The main difference is that the latter contain meat, raw, unlike the cooked meat dedicated to the ancestors or the gods.
Sacrificial rites
The rites are intended to appease the forces and powers that can cause disturbances in the harmonious course of things, such as bad harvests, volcanic eruptions, periods of drought... The caru, sacrificial offerings, are not intended for the impossible annihilation of the demonic powers, but for the restoration of the good balance of all things. In these propitiations, animal sacrifices and the presence of blood are of crucial importance. For the important caru , satay (saté and jejatah) made of different pieces of pork, duck, beef and turtle, as well as lawar, a minced meat containing blood, coconut and some vegetables, are prepared. For the rite of appeasement and purification for the guardians of the cardinal points, an ox is sacrificed to the south, a duck to the west, a black goat to the north, a goose to the east and, in the center, a hen of various colors. Since demons greatly appreciate the blood of fighting roosters, ritual cockfighting(tabuh getib) is still important.
Funeral rites
In the Balinese cyclical conception, death is the return to the origins. The daily rites are the symbolic realization of the passage towards liberation. At death, the bodies are not immediately burned, mainly for pecuniary reasons. They are generally buried until an appropriate date or until a collective cremation. Only the nobility can afford cremation a few days or weeks after death. In all cases, the reason for cremation is the same. The body, or its effigy, is burned and the ashes scattered in the sea, which means that the material components, the elements that constitute the human body, join their cosmic equivalent, the five elements (Panca Maha Butha).
The cremation ritual is linked to cosmic symbolism. The cremation tower is a replica of the cosmos. The body is placed in the central world of humans(madiapada). The sarcophagus, in which the body is burned, is the vehicle for the flight of the soul. The cremation is in no way an occasion for demonstrations of mourning, grief or pain. The body is first displayed in the home of the deceased. The pavilion is richly decorated with ribbons, flowers, mirrors... Then, the body is placed in a sarcophagus and covered with a shroud(rubrub). The days before the cremation, the villagers (the members of the banjar(s)) build a bamboo pavilion(balé pawedaan) in which the pedanda will come to prepare the lustrous waters essential to the purification. When the ritual is finally completed, it is time to accompany the body to the pura dalem, the place of cremation. The body is hoisted into a niche(balé spatika) of the tower by a staircase(raren). The tower rests on a square bamboo base. The cremation towers of the satria can reach twenty-five meters high and are pagodated(tumpang), that is to say that, like the meru of the temples, they have an odd number of superimposed roofs, which can go up to eleven. The cremation tower is sometimes preceded by a long decorated snake, the nagabanda, which is supposed to become the vehicle of the deceased in his quest for the heavenly places. The sarcophagus is then placed on the pyre after further purification. Previously, the ritual fire was observed completely; now the pyre is sprinkled with flammable materials. The flames will take a few minutes to invade the sarcophagus and the tower.Christian religious communities
The Christians, wanting to settle in Bali, were discouraged by both the Balinese and the Dutch. They were asked to settle in the west, as far away from the "Balinese" as possible, in order to preserve the population from these outside religious influences. This is why the two villages are perched in the hills of western Bali, north of the village of Melaya, where no one wanted to live. The Protestants settled in the village of Belimbingsari, while the Catholics chose the site of Palasari. For their religious buildings, both were curiously inspired by Balinese architecture, using kulkul or meru, or imitating temple facades. Their churches are worth a look. The one in Palasari is a gigantic white stone building reminiscent of New World baroque architecture. The protestant temple of Belimbingsari is less impressive, but it is surprising to see the Balinese influences, even in the Christian statues!
