When someone encounters a Balinese high priest (pedanda) in action, one can hardly miss the beauty of his or her hand gestures. This hand gestures are known as mudra. Mudra has been used by both Hindu and Buddhist priests for thousands of years. The word “mudra” means “sign” when the high priest utters the sacred incantation, his or her hands make certain gestures as signs to express the words of sacred incantation with movements.

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No ceremony, ritual, or offering is believed to be accepted by God without proper incantation (mantra) is chanted by a qualified priest or high priest to summon God from heaven and beg Him to accept the essence of the offerings and witness the ceremony or ritual. Balinese considered the mantra that is chanted by the priest as “finisher” (pemuput) of the ceremony, without it all offerings just a heap sewn coconut leaf, foods, fire and water.

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Religious symbols, icons, or signs can be found in surprisingly numerous numbers in Bali. Surprisingly? Since they are perfectly interwoven in everyday Balinese life, one hardly realizes their existence. Some religious symbol can easily be recognized, for example Rerajahan. Rerajahan is the most obvious and easily recognized Balinese religious symbol.

Rerajahan is a drawing of sacred characters or images on a piece of cloth, metal plate, pottery, leaf, fruit, wood, weapon, basket or skin. The drawing of the rerajahan can be categorized into 11 groups:

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Gedong Kirtya, the only palm-leaf manuscript library in Bali or maybe in the world is founded in 1928. Gedong Kirtya was opened to the public by the then Governor General of East Indies, A. C.D. de Graff on 14 September 1928. The date of the opening is engraved on a monogram or candra sangkala on the entrance door. This monogram consists of the image of a human riding on an elephant with a bow in his hand, killing his enemy with an arrow. This image is interpreted as follows: a human represents the figure 1; elephant figure 8; arrow figure 5 and the dead person figure 0. According to Caka year, Gedong Kirtya was founded in Caka 1850.

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Animal sacrifices or using animals in religious ceremonies is obligatory in Bali. Most of Balinese ceremonies require one or more animal to be scarified. Killing animal in this way is not considered a cruelty. When animal is killed in sacrifice, it acquires karma, enough perhaps, to allow it to be reincarnated at higher level. The body is not important to the Hindu faithful. It is shell. Animal that is killed for a sacrifice is always treated with a great reverence. Offering are made to it. Mantras are recited, asking for improved status in the next life. An animal cannot be sacrificed without these prayers and offerings.

Animals that are sacrificed are various range from chicken, duck, goose, pig, dog, turtle, goat, water buffaloes, eagles even tiger. The animal sacrifices mostly occur in Bhuta Yadnya (rites for demon) ceremonies since demons love to see and taste blood and flesh. This bhuta yadnya is usually conducted to appease the demon and to restore the balance of positive and negative force.

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The most important part of all Balinese ceremony is a Holy water. Holy water accompanies every act of Hindu-Balinese worship from individual devotion at household shrine to island-wide ceremonies. Holy water acts as an agent of the power of a God, a container of a mysterious force. It can be cleanse spiritual impurities, fend off evil forces, and render the recipient immune to the attacks of the negative, or demonic, influences. In Bali, holy water is not a symbol, it a material container of mystical power, and as such, is sacred and holy in and of itself. The holy water strengthens and purifies everything it touches. Although there are many kinds and potencies of holy water, no matter where or by whom it is made and no matter whether its quantity is great or small, holy water is always a sacred and powerful agent.

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