|
Bali – Mythology and Legend in
Reality
by aneeta sundararaj
In the brochure entitled Be Our Guest, Bali is
Bali Forever, it is written that the Balinese practice a ‘special
variety [of Hinduism] that governs the waking and sleeping moments…’ I
had, previous to visiting Bali, been told that the Hinduism practised
in Bali was ‘undeveloped’. These two comments were deeply intriguing
and for the writer, being Hindu myself, it was wonderful to visit Bali
recently and discover that the Hinduism that is practised is most
certainly not undeveloped.
Hindus believe in the One Great God, Ishwara. When
called Brahma he takes over the Creation of the Universe. When called
Vishnu, he assumes the role of the Preserver and when he is the
Destroyer, he is called Shiva. There are ten incarnations of Vishnu of
which only nine have appeared thus far. Brahma, Vishnu (together with
his nine incarnations) and Shiva make up the basis of the entire
mythology of the Hindu faith which is described in the two main epics
of Mahabharat and Ramayana.
The Mahabharat, in very simple terms is a story of
two noble families, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, who quarrel over who
should have possession of their Kingdom and this quarrel culminates in
the famous Kurushektra war. The Ramayana is the story of Rama, sent
into exile by his father; whilst in exile, his wife, Sita, is kidnapped
by Ravana, the Demon. Rama eventually rescues Sita and vanquishes
Ravana with the help of the monkey race. The leader of the monkey race
is Sugreeva, whose brother is incidentally called Bali. The one
character that appears in both these epics is Hanuman, the monkey God.
In Hindu culture, the stories from the Mahabharat
and the Ramayana permeate every facet of life. Bali, like any other
Hindu nation, is no different. It is just more pronounced in Bali than
anywhere in the world.
Every part of Bali’s panorama is infused with
stories from these epics. For example, almost everywhere one goes in
Bali one would see a statue of some character from either of these two
epics. The one that easily come to mind is, according to our taxi
driver, the depiction of the fight between Rama and Ravana at the
roundabout just outside of Ngurah Rai International Airport. A note
worthy point to make is that unlike statues elsewhere, most of the
statues in Bali are of figures in motion. They are not static figures
of characters but show them in the midst of combat or any other act.
The ability to depict these characters in fluid motion proves the
capabilities of the master craftsmen of Bali and also shows that they
do really understand the characters they are carving.
Of course one of the things that one cannot miss
on a trip to Bali today, is the site of last years’ bombing in Kuta.
Even here, their faith and religion is evident because the most amazing
fact is that in the bomb blast, everything in the building, including
the building itself was destroyed but for the statue of Ganesh. Ganesh
is the god with an elephant head who happens to be the son of Lord
Shiva. He is also known as the Remover of all obstacles in Life and the
first God that every Hindu person would pray to before undertaking any
new project.
As a people the Balinese generally seem to
practise the rules or tenets of Hinduism properly. There is of course
the normal harassing and badgering of tourists that occurs in any
tourist spot. But look closely behind the veil of tourism and one would
see a people so rich in their heritage and culture that it is hard to
imagine that people who look like many of their counterparts in the
Malaya Archipelago can actually practice an ancient religion like
Hinduism and more so with great pride. Indeed when waiting for our taxi
driver at the taxi stand, with whom we had had an agreement to take us
shopping, we were not harassed by equally eager and waiting taxi
drivers. They merely informed us that they would go look for our driver
and we were stunned. In any other part of the world, it might have been
customary to offer a cheaper fair to a customer, just to get his
custom. Here in Bali, they respected each other enough to know that
there was a binding agreement between their colleague and the customer.
It was like a breath of fresh air.
Furthermore, it was amazing to read the following
paragraph in the brochure Be Our Guest, Bali is Bali Forever.
“Temples are presided over by a lay priest, called
a pemangku. He or she is often of the lowest caste. A pemangku is not a
holy person, but rather, one who is respected as one with spiritual
influence. … They may be thought of in some respects as temple
caretakers. They keep the place clean, decorate it when needed, furnish
holy water to those who seek it, and are in charge of all ceremonies
that occur within the temple. One of their important jobs is to prepare
and provide holy water from the temple for those who seek it for
various occasions.”
This is amazing for two reasons which touch on
issues of gender and caste bias. In other parts of the world where
Hinduism is practised, women are not allowed to take part in temple
duties. Worse still is the scourge of the caste system that does not
allow a low caste person to even enter the temple let alone provide
holy water to people who seek it. The ability of the Balinese to treat
their fellow man as human, if not equal, is like none other in this
world. Nowhere else could it be possible for a low caste woman to keep
the temple clean or decorate it and indeed be in charge of all
ceremonies that occur within the temple. Indeed the Balinese must truly
be liberated people.
Even for the future, the Balinese have thought of
a manner in which they can fuse Hindu mythology with economics and
technology. The Wishnu Garuda Kencana project, we were told, is an
enormous undertaking by the Balinese Government to construct a
structure that will, when eventually completed, be taller than the
Statue of Liberty in America. It is apparently a project that is going
to cost around US$42 million and the Balinese are currently looking for
investors from around the world to invest it this noble project. The
aim apparently is to place the completed structure of Vishnu riding his
vehicle, Garuda on top of what they call a ‘pedestal’. This ‘pedestal’
is intended to house a museum, shops and conference centre. By the time
one has spent a few days in Bali, it is not surprising that the
Balinese would choose too depict Vishnu as they must have had it in
their minds that to be in tune with Nature, what better character to
depict than the Preserver to preserve the peace, tranquillity and
beauty of their island.
Even in a short space of time, what one comes away
with from the island is a feeling of peace. Here in this corner of the
of the world, there are a people, so developed in their understanding
of the freedom that Hinduism gives to man that they live in true
harmony with Nature and fully respect her and indeed thrive on her
bountiful gifts. Hinduism in Bali is most certainly not ‘undeveloped’.
In Bali, it is ever so easy to explain to a newcomer to the religion
the stories, the tenets and what it is like to be Hindu as it is there
for all to see; little verbal explanation needs to be given. One just
has to experience it. In other parts of the world, it is not often that
Hindus struggle with other and even each other to retain their freedom
and that struggle in itself can become overbearing. To be in Bali is to
be free and at peace with the Gods and Nature.
It might not even be too way off the mark to say
that in today’s age, Bali is probably the only place where Hinduism is
closest to being practised in its true form. Bali has been given many
other names like, The Island of Peace, Island of Gods, The Morning of
the World and so on. Perhaps to this list should be added The Island
where Hindu Mythology and Legend are Reality.
Aneeta Sundararaj is the editor and site owner of
Sensations: the definitive resource for self-published and independent
authors. The site provides services that pertain to promotion of
self-published authors and also e-publishing. She runs a bi-weekly
newsletter that lists articles, job listings, English grammar tips,
contest listings, resources and more! Aneeta is herself a published
author and her books and other information can be viewed at
http://www.sensations.com.my
aneeta sundararaj may be contacted at http://www.sensations.com.my
or aneeta@sensations.com.my
|
