Who doesn’t know Bali?
Bali seems to be more famous than the country it is located in, Indonesia. It’s not uncommon to find foreigners who think that Indonesia is located in Bali, or Bali is Bali, a place that is not a part of Indonesia.
Bali is indeed highly popular due to its tourism. Its varied landscape, lush forests, rugged coastlines, sandy beaches and lush rice terraces all providing picturesque backdrop to its deeply spiritual and unique culture. In Bali you can see offerings and temples everywhere; something that you might not found in any other areas in Indonesia. Yes, every aspect of Balinese life is suffused with Hindu faith. Unlike any other island in largely Muslim Indonesia, Bali is a pocket of Hindu religion and culture.
Hinduism came to Indonesia from India in the first century AD. It was gradually replaced by Buddhism, which was the main religion of Java and Sumatra, until it in turn was displaced by the coming of Islam from the 14th century AD. However, due to the isolationism nature of Balinese and the system of state religion on pre-colonial Dutch, Bali became the only part of Indonesia to remain predominantly Hindu, even today.
Although Balinese Hindus worship the same gods and goddesses, perform similar rituals, and build sacred temples, there are certain elements that make Balinese Hindus different from Hindu practices in India. Here are some other interesting facts about Bali that every Indian Hindu must know.
1. Along with the traditional Hindu gods such as Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, Balinese Hindus worship a range of deities unique to their branch of the religion. Sang Hyang Widhi (also known as Acintya or Sang Hyang Tunggal) is the designation for one God in Balinese Hinduism. Acintya is associated with the concept of Brahman.
2. Nyepi Day, or the Day of Silence, makes the start of the Balinese Saka year, and is marked on the first day of the 10th month, Kedasa, which usually falls in March. Nyepi Day is the ultimately quietest day of the year, when all of the island’s inhabitants abide by a set of local rules, which brings all routine activities to a complete halt. The Balinese Hindus follow a ritual called the Catur Brata Penyepian or “Four Nyepi Prohibitions”, which include amati geni or “no fire”, amati lelungan or “no travel”, amati karya or “no activity”, and amati lelanguan or “no entertainment”.
3. The culture of Bali was begun by the Rishis of India, whose names are no longer taught in the schools of India but are common in the schools of Bali—Markandeya, Baradwaja, and Agastya.
4. Men and women should wear appropriate attires when entering the temples. Males should wear several essential items such as udeng (headpiece), a shirt (usually white), kamen (long woven clothes to cover the legs, looks like a Dhoti), saputan (a cloth that covers kamen from the waist to thighs), and umpal (a waistband). The clothes for females are similar, only without udeng and instead of white shirt, females usually wear kebaya with a sash wrapped along the waist and a sanggul (hair bun) with flower decoration.
5. Tri Hita Karana is a traditional philosophy for life in Bali. The literal translation is roughly the “three causes of well-being” or “three reasons for prosperity.” The three causes referred to in the principle are harmony among people (Pawongan), harmony with nature or environment (Palemahan) , and harmony with God (Parahyangan). Bali acquired the principles taught by the Rishis and improved their inner approach towards life.
6. Trikala Sandhya (sun worship three times a day) is practiced in every Balinese school. The Gayatri Mantra is recited by every Balinese school child three times a day. Many of the local radio stations also relay Trikala Sandhya three times a day. How many Indian Hindus are aware of their duty of Trikala Sandhya?
7. In the year 1011 AD, at a place which is now known as Purasamantiga. It was the first interreligious conference of three religions: Shaiva Agama, Bauddha Agama and Baliyaga, the traditional pre-Buddhist, pre-Hindu, Balinese religion. The scholars and the leaders sat down and worked out a system by which the three religions should work together and exchange forms with each other and that is the religion of Bali today.
8. Bali priests are treated as equal and paid by the government. Despite the fact that Indonesia is a secular country with the biggest Muslim population in the world, every religion is supported by the government. That is the Indonesian form of secularism, which probably can’t be implemented in India.
9. The national motto of Indonesia “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. One is many, many is one.” is inspired by an Indonesian Hindu scripture Sutasoma Kakavin. The complete quotation is as follows – “It is said that the well known Buddha and Shiva are two different substances; they are indeed different, yet how is it possible to recognize their difference in a glance, since the truth of Buddha and the truth of Shiva are one? They may be different, but they are of the same kind, as there is no duality in truth.”
10. In Bali Hindus still don’t read a printed book when they perform Puja (worship). They read from a Lontar, which has traditionally been scripted by hand on a palm leaf. Before they recite the Ramayana Kakavin the book is worshipped. There is a special ritual of lifting the sacred book, carrying it in a procession, bringing it to a special place, doing the bhumi puja, worshipping the ground there and consecrating the ground, then placing the book there. Then the priest will sit and recite the Ramayana.
Ni nani asiyejulikana na Bali? Bali inaonekana kuwa maarufu zaidi kuliko nchi ambayo iko, Indonesia. Si jambo lisilo la kawaida kupata wageni ambao wanafikiri kwamba Indonesia iko katika Bali, au Bali ni Bali, mahali ambapo si sehemu ya Indonesia. Bali kwa kweli ni maarufu sana kwa sababu ya utalii wake. Maeneo yake yenye mimea mbalimbali, misitu yenye rutuba, pwani zenye miamba, fukwe zenye mchanga na nyanda za mchele zenye rutuba, yote hayo yanafanya nchi hiyo iwe na utamaduni wa kiroho na wa kipekee. Katika Bali unaweza kuona matoleo na mahekalu kila mahali; kitu ambacho huenda usikipata katika maeneo mengine yoyote nchini Indonesia. Ndiyo, kila sehemu ya maisha ya Wabalinese imejazwa imani ya Kihindu. Tofauti na visiwa vingine vyote katika Indonesia yenye Waislamu wengi, Bali ni kitovu cha dini na utamaduni wa Kihindu. Dini ya Kihindu ilikuja Indonesia kutoka India katika karne ya kwanza KK. Uislamu ulibadilishwa na Ubudha, dini kuu ya Java na Sumatra, na baadaye ikawa dini ya Kiislamu. Hata hivyo, kwa sababu ya asili ya kujitenga ya Bali na mfumo wa dini ya serikali ya kabla ya ukoloni Uholanzi, Bali ikawa sehemu pekee ya Indonesia kubaki hasa Kihindu, hata leo. Ingawa Wahindu wa Bali huabudu miungu na miungu-mke sawa, hufanya desturi zinazofanana, na kujenga mahekalu matakatifu, kuna mambo fulani yanayowafanya Wahindu wa Bali wawe tofauti na mazoea ya Wahindu nchini India. Hapa kuna baadhi ya mambo mengine ya kuvutia kuhusu Bali ambayo kila Kihindu cha India lazima ajue. 1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Pamoja na miungu ya jadi ya Kihindu kama vile Brahma, Vishnu na Siva, Wahindu wa Bali huabudu miungu mbalimbali ya kipekee kwa tawi lao la dini. Sang Hyang Widhi (pia inajulikana kama Acintya au Sang Hyang Tunggal) ni jina la Mungu mmoja katika Uhindu wa Bali. Acintya inahusianishwa na dhana ya Brahman. 2. Uwezekano wa kupata Siku ya Nyepi, au Siku ya Ukimya, ni siku ya kwanza ya mwezi wa kumi wa Bali, Kedasa, ambayo kwa kawaida huanguka mwezi wa Machi. Siku ya Nyepi ni siku ya utulivu zaidi ya mwaka, wakati wakazi wote wa kisiwa hicho wanatii sheria za eneo hilo, na hivyo shughuli zote za kawaida zinasimama kabisa. Wahindu wa Bali hufuata desturi inayoitwa Catur Brata Penyepian au <unk>Mipango minne ya Nyepi<unk>, ambayo ni pamoja na amati geni au <unk>no fire<unk>, amati lelungan au <unk>no travel<unk>, amati karya au <unk>no activity<unk>, na amati lelanguan au <unk>no entertainment<unk>. 3. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Utamaduni wa Bali ulianzishwa na Rishis wa India, ambao majina yao hayafundishwi tena katika shule za India lakini ni ya kawaida katika shule za Bali <unk> Markandeya, Baradwaja, na Agastya. 4. Uwe na uhakika Wanaume na wanawake wanapaswa kuvaa mavazi yanayofaa wanapokuwa wakiingia hekaluni. Wanaume wanapaswa kuvaa vitu kadhaa muhimu kama vile udeng (kifuniko cha kichwa), shati (kwa kawaida nyeupe), kamen (vazi refu la kushona kufunika miguu, linaonekana kama Dhoti), saputan (kitambaa kinachofunika kamen kutoka kiuno hadi viuno), na umpal (kifuniko cha kiuno). Mavazi ya wanawake ni sawa, tu bila udeng na badala ya shati nyeupe, wanawake kwa kawaida huvaa kebaya na sash iliyozungukwa kwenye kiuno na sanggul (bun ya nywele) na mapambo ya maua. 5. Uwe na mtazamo mzuri. Tri Hita Karana ni falsafa ya jadi ya maisha huko Bali. "Kutokana na kanuni hizi tatu, kuna ""sababishi tatu za ustawi"" (Pawongan), ""sababishi tatu za ustawi"" (Palemahan), na ""sababishi tatu za ustawi"" (Parahyangan)." Bali alipata kanuni zilizofundishwa na Rishis na kuboresha mbinu yao ya ndani kuelekea maisha. 6. Uwe na uhakika Trikala Sandhya (kuabudu jua mara tatu kwa siku) hufanywa katika kila shule ya Bali. Gayatri Mantra husomwa na kila mtoto wa shule wa Bali mara tatu kwa siku. Vituo vingi vya redio vya mahali hapo pia vinatangaza Trikala Sandhya mara tatu kwa siku. Ni Wahindu wangapi wa India wanafahamu wajibu wao wa Trikala Sandhya? 7. Uwe na mtazamo gani? Mwaka 1011 B.K.K. katika eneo ambalo sasa linaitwa Purasamantika. Mkutano huo ulikuwa wa kwanza wa dini tatu: Agama ya Shaiva, Agama ya Buddha na Agama ya Baliyaga, dini ya kitamaduni ya kabla ya Ubudha, kabla ya Uhindu, na dini ya Bali. Wataalamu na viongozi waliketi chini na kufanya kazi mfumo ambao dini tatu zinapaswa kufanya kazi pamoja na kubadilishana fomu na kila mmoja na hiyo ni dini ya Bali leo. 8. Uwe na mtazamo gani? Makuhani wa Bali hutendewa sawa na hulipwa na serikali. Indonesia ni nchi ya kidini na ina idadi kubwa ya Waislamu duniani, lakini dini zote zinatambuliwa na serikali. Hiyo ni aina ya Indonesia ya sekularism, ambayo pengine haiwezi kutekelezwa nchini India. 9. (a) Kwa nini? Kauli mbiu ya kitaifa ya Indonesia <unk>Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. Moja ni nyingi, nyingi ni moja. <unk> imeongozwa na maandishi ya Kihindu ya Indonesia Sutasoma Kakavin. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika kitabu cha Mafundisho ya Mungu, ""Buddha na Shiva ni vitu viwili tofauti, lakini ni vipi kuweza kutambua tofauti yao kwa jicho moja, kwani ukweli wa Buddha na ukweli wa Shiva ni moja?""" Huenda wakawa tofauti, lakini ni wa aina ileile, kwa kuwa hakuna utatu katika ukweli. <unk> 10. Katika Bali Wahindu bado hawasomi kitabu kilichochapishwa wanapofanya Puja (kuabudu). Wao husoma kutoka kwa Lontar, ambayo kwa kawaida imeandikwa kwa mkono kwenye jani la mtende. Kabla ya kusoma Ramayana Kakavin kitabu hicho huabudiwa. "Kuna desturi ya pekee ya kuinua kitabu kitakatifu, kukibeba katika msafara, kulileta mahali maalum, kufanya ""Bhoomi Puja,"" kuabudu ardhi huko na kuitakasa ardhi, kisha kuweka kitabu huko." Kisha kasisi ataketi na kusali Ramayana.