Here is an interesting writing on Buddhism in Bali by venerable S. Dhammika. It is interesting to see the point of view of a Buddhist Monk form outside Bali on Buddhism in Bali.

Much attention has been given to how far west Buddhism extended in ancient times. The most westerly Buddhist monument that can be is the foundations of a large stupa in the south east corner of the ancient citadel of Khiva in Turkmenistan. Small communities of Buddhists may have existed beyond this but if they did they would have been insignificant, isolated and exceptional. We can say therefor that the outer edge of Buddhism in the west was what is now eastern Iran. But how far to the east did Buddhism spread its gentle and civilizing influence? To the outer islands of Indonesia, to Australia or perhaps beyond? In the 1920’s a superb bronze bust of the Buddha was found on Sulawesi, one of the larger islands that make up Indonesia. This is the eastern most point that any Buddhist antiquity has ever been found. There is, though, no evidence of an enduring Buddhist presence either on Sulawesi or beyond it; no ruined temples or monasteries, no inscriptions or references to it in the historical records. However, only a few hundred miles south west of Sulawesi is the small island of Bali where MajapahitG and literary evidence shows that Buddhism existed along side Hinduism for about seven hundred years.

Indian merchants first arrived in Bali in about 200 BCE and it was probably these people who introduced Buddhism and Hinduism. A Balinese work of uncertain date called the Nagarakertagama by the Buddhist monk lists all the Buddhist temples in Bali, twenty six altogether, and mentions that in 1275 King Kretanagara underwent a Tantric Buddhist initiation to protect his kingdom from an expected invasion by Kublai Khan. The island’s history is scant until 1343 when it was conquered by and absorbed into the Majapahit Empire of Java-Sumatra. Hinduism and Buddhism both received state patronage although the type of Buddhism that prevailed gradually became indistinguishable from Hinduism. A Javanese Buddhist work from about the 12th century contains this telling verse. “The one substance is called two, that is, the Buddha and Siva. They say they are different but how can they be divided? Despite differences there is oneness”. Clearly at the time these words were being composed some Buddhists were struggling to maintain the uniqueness of the Dharma while others were stressing its similarity with Hinduism. Eventually in both Java and Bali the integrators prevailed. Incidentally, the phrase “Despite differences there is oneness” ( Bhineka tunggal ika ) has been taken as the motto for the Republic of Indonesia. With the collapse of Mahapahit in 1515 and the ascendancy of Islam, Java’s old intellectual and religious elite, including the last surviving Buddhist monks and scholars sought refuge in Bali.

(more…)

The village of Kamasan, in Klungkung, Bali’s oldest kingdom, as an ancient tradition of painting with its roots in the art of the great Javanese empire of Majapahit. Kamasan is far from the usual tourist tracks, and so many visitors to Bali get the false impression that Ubud is the centre of art. The art of Kamasan is the ‘classic’ style based on the shadow theatre or wayang, and Kamasan village once included many wayang puppeteers, although few remain. For many centuries that tradition was practised by the Sangging descent group, who gave their name to the section of the village of Kamasan where present-day artists are still found. Early in the nineteenth century the Sangging descent group died out in Kamasan through lack of male heirs, but they passed on their tradition to others in the village, via the most famous artists of that era, Modara.

(more…)

A permanent exhibition room in Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) is immortalized as Anak Agung Made Djelantik Room to honour Anak Agung Made Djelantik’s dedication for art and culture of Bali especially Balinese painting. This permanent exhibition room houses the watercolor paintings of Anak Agung Made Djelantik, the founder of Bali Walter Spies Foundation and the Honorary President of German Walter Spies Society. A strong bond between Walter Spies and Anak Agung Made Djelantik is showed by the position of this new room that is next to Walter Spies Room.

Left to Right: Bulan Trisna Djelantik (the doughter), Anak Agung Rai (owner of ARMA), Horst Jordt (President Walter Spies Society Germany), and the picture of Anak Agung Made Djelantik

The watercolor paintings of Anak Agung Made Djelantik which are exhibited here depict the fateful events in Anak Agung Made Djelantik life, from early in the childhood up to retirement years. The theme of the paintings range from the black magic to culture shock, from temple to boat race, in short the themes of the paintings cover all aspects of Anak Agung Made Djelantik life.

(more…)

The Balinese are just one of Indonesia’s 250 ethnic groups. Like most Indonesians they are a blend of races, with the accent on the deutero-malayan race of Central and East Java, with traces, of Polynesian and Melanesian blood, as well as Indian and Chinese. This genetic back ground explains the variety of radical types seen on the island most Balinese are small hand some people with round delicate features thick black hair long sweeping eyelashes heart shaped lips and warm brown complexions others are darker skinned and straight haired like pacific islanders, or curly haired with flat noses like Papuans.

Çudamani Gamelan troupe

The Balinese are an extraordinarily creative people with a highly sensual theatrical culture. Culturally, the Javanese lean more toward refinement and modesty, keeping themselves in check in life and art, while the Balinese prefer the headier, flashier sensations – laugh, terror, spicier and sweeter foods. Balinese are more lavish and baroque in their colors and decorations, with more explosive music and fast, jerky dancing.

(more…)

The first evidences of human appearance in Bali date back to the Stone Age, tens of thousands years ago, with the founding of few artifacts that are believed to be reminiscent of small bands of hunter-gatherers. These prehistoric bands lived and foraged in Bali’s jungle and scavenged the tidal pools of the island. Many Paleolithic implements have been found near Sembiran in northen Bali, and there is also evidence in the form of rectangular stone adzes, axes, blades, hoes and picks used by a Neolithic people of Bali.

The most spectacular remains of Neolithic civilization in Bali are remain of Neolithic settlement and a burial site of 100 mongoloid adults and children which were found in Cekik, south of Gilimanuk, West Bali. These are the mortal remains of coastal people who swam the strait and walked across to Bali via land bridge from East Java to Bali in their migration east through the islands from Indochina. Bali was already well populated by the time of Bronze Age began around 300 B.C.

(more…)

Most of the temple anniversaries and ceremonies in Bali are held based on the traditional Pawukon cycle. The Pawukon cycle also called uku or wuku, was brought to Bali in the 14th century with the fleeing Hindu follower of the collapsed Majapahit empire. The Pawukon calendar flourishes in Bali though it originated from Java. The Pawukon cycle provides the reference system for most of the religious ceremonies in Bali, as well as market days, temple anniversaries, personal anniversaries, good and bad luck days, and days for doing particular things. A Pawukon “year”, which lasts 210 days, should really be thought as a cycle, since no record is kept of successive “years”, nor are they numbered or named, they just pass by. (image from http://www.louisg.net/C_balinais.htm)

The Pawukon cycle is quite complex since its 210 days are subdivided not according to simple system of months and weeks but into ten separate week systems. There is a week that only consists of one day; one consists of two days; one consists of three days, and so on, up to ten-day week. And they all run concurrently. And to add more complication on the cycle, Pawukon cycle also divides its 210 days into another thirty weeks known as Wuku. Each Wuku has its own name; each week consists of seven days, luckily there is no unique name for each day in these Wuku weeks.

(more…)