My Bali Bali Bali

Bali Travel Guide and Review – Part 1

Bali Introduction: The Geography

Bali is a small volcanic island covering around 5000 square kilometers, just south of the equator. Central Bali is dominated by the island’s major volcanic peaks, from which the land steadily descends all the way down to sea level on the northern and eastern coasts; the southern Bali peninsula is largely flat. There are four major volcanoes in Bali, the highest being Mt Agung at 3124m. Agung erupted violently in 1963 and although many people died in the eruption it has since been a blessing to the Balinese in providing some of the richest soil in Indonesia. The next four highest mountains are no longer alive but the smaller Mt Batur (1717m) is one of the most active volcanoes in the region, puffing regular clouds of ash into the air. Bali, being such a small island, has little space to create rivers of any notable size. Rather it is riddled with small creeks that are channeled into the intricate irrigation system that feeds Balinese rice paddies. Nevertheless, some major rivers do flow, namely the Sungai Pakrisan (“Kris River”), the Sungai Petanu (“Cursed River”) and the Ayung, Bali’s longest river.

Bali Introduction : The History

Many years ago Bali was divided into eight Hindu kingdoms. These small kingdoms were powerful but prone to fighting each other, which weakened their resistance to foreign invasion. As early as the sixth century, Javanese kings conquered parts of Bali although Balinese princes often continued to rule as puppets with Javanese sovereignty pulling their strings. Nevertheless power continued to bounce between various kingdoms of Bali and Java. As links with Java strengthened, Javanese script, sculpture and temples began to appear on the island. Late in the tenth century, ties between the islands were solidified with the marital union of a Balinese Prince and a Javanese Princess. The Javanese Majapahit kingdom conquered Bali in the thirteenth century by vanquishing the semi-demonic king of Bali at the time, ‘Dalem Bedulu’, and attempting to eradicate the ‘vile’ Balinese princes and their ‘barbaric’ customs. Ironically, the supreme Majapahit ruler gave a Balinese the position of ‘King of Bali’, a position that gained little respect from the majority of Balinese who continued to refuse to recognize Javanese sovereignty. The Majapahit presence in Bali turned out to be short and turbulent and during the ensuing centuries, much of the unique Balinese Hindu culture and traditions that we see in Bali today were created. This was possibly a result of a community determined to protect their individuality and not be overcome by imported Javanese culture.

Contact with the west began when a Dutch fleet stumbled across Bali in 1597 and felt they had found ‘paradise’. Many of the crew refused to return home but stories of a magical place leaked back to their homeland. With Dutch royalty eager to establish relations, Dutch ships bearing gifts for the Balinese kings were dispatched. However, from a trading perspective, Bali had little to offer so the opportunity to develop international relations was restricted at first. Originally, its primary export was slaves but as the world slave trade was curtailed, the Balinese Kings turned to other commodities such as coconut oil, thereby putting Bali in a position to enter the world trading market.

Dutch interest in the Indonesian islands changed into the seventeenth century and the merchant ships gave way to war ships. The Dutch had overcome many Javanese kingdoms through ancient principles of divide and conquer and the same approach was taken in Bali. As the Balinese continued to resist, the Dutch became more and more aggressive. Stories of their barbaric tactics were not received well in their homeland and protests led them to complete their invasion more tactfully. Surprisingly, once the Dutch secured control, they protected the island from outside influences and encouraged them to maintain much of their culture and traditions. Grateful of this as we are today, their reasons were not purely benevolent: they considered the Balinese controllable with their peaceful religion but were wary should that religion change to a more fundamental variety.

World War 2 brought a new era as Japanese armies took over from the Dutch. The Japanese presence in Bali was short lived and they left without a trace as they lost the war. The Dutch tried to return to the Indonesian islands, but their desperate attempts to regain power in the colony were condemned all over the world. Together with the rest of the Dutch East Indies archipelago, Bali was handed over to a new independent Indonesian government that emerged in 1949. Bali had finally lost its liberty and fell to its destiny of economic and political dependence on neighboring Java.

Bali Introduction : The Population

Bali is bursting, with an estimated population of over three million people. Through the controversial transmigration program, Balinese communities have developed in the outer regions of Indonesia such as Sumatra and Sulawesi, in order to relieve the islands’ already stretched natural resources.

to be continued…..

Bali Travel Guide and Review – Part 2

Balinese Castes

The Balinese Hindu religion regards a traditional caste system though it has never been as divisive as its Indian ascendent. This is for the most part due to the fact that over 90% of Balinese belong to the lowest ‘Sudra’ caste, and in India would have been considered ‘untouchable’. Given their dominance such mental attitudes in Bali would not be realistic. Notwithstanding these facts, inter-marriage persists to be uncommon and discouraged.

The three upper castes are together recognized as the ‘Triwangsa’ (‘three peoples’) constituting Brahmana, Kesayatria and Wesia. Caste is specified by birth but is rarely reflected in a person’s occupation, although only a Brahmana can be suited to be a Pedanda high priest, and only Brahmana may take the task of recreating masks from the ‘Barong’ dance as they harbour the ability to protect themselves from the evil spirits.

Balinese Names

Upon learning a Balinese friends name, you can establish some elements of his or her background. First Of All, the name will often indicate the cast to which they belong. For illustration, if you meet someone named Ida Bagus, you recognize they belong to the highest Brahmana caste or, if they are addressed as Gusti, they will almost surely belong to the Wesia caste. The Balinese also distinguish their children in order of birth. Together with a personal name, unique in the family, a Balinese child will be awarded a more common name. The firstborn is often Wayan or Putu while the second born generally carries the name of Made or Kadek. The third child usually is Nyoman or Komang and the fourth is always Ketut; with the birth of a fifth child, the naming cycle starts again.

Children

The Balinese dote on their children, a devotion that no doubt leads to the calm and relaxed demeanour of the island’s population. At birth the baby’s umbilical cord is buried with oblations to protect them throughout their lives. Until the child reaches three months of age, they are permanently carried as it is regarded as unclean and disrespectful if they should touch the ground before that age. Balinese children are discouraged from crawling, believed to be only the actions of an animal, and learn to walk at a very young age. Upon reaching 105 days, the baby will be ornamented with bracelets and anklets. A further 105 days later, a ceremony is held to signify their entry into adulthood. The passage through puberty is celebrated with a tooth filing ceremony, aimed to flatten any pointed teeth that may represent evil and designed to restrict sinful emotions and actions such as greed, anger, jealousy, stupidity, and adultery.

Everyday, there are many temple ceremonies all over Bali. Some are held at a single village temple while others are island-wide. One common ceremony is the ‘odelan’, held every 210 days to celebrate a temple’s anniversary. Another is held every time there is a full moon. The day of Saraswati heralds a ceremony celebrating knowledge, learning and the arts. Ceremonies on this day are held in relation to schools and primarily involve students. Some important days occur very rarely such as the ‘Eka Dasa Rudra’, held only once every 100 years at Besakih Temple. .

Religion

Bali is a predominantly Hindu Island, surviving in an Islamic nation. Minority populations of Muslims, Christians and Buddhists are also found on the island.

Little is known of the introduction of Hinduism in Bali though it doubtlessly involved the Indian traders who came to these parts for the spice trade over two thousand years ago. Given its physical isolation from the ancestral religion, Balinese Hinduism has since developed into a unique version of the ancient faith. Although the fundamentals remain the same, many of the gods revered on Bali are unknown in India and vice versa. Vast Hindu kingdoms were also found in neighbouring islands but they disappeared soon after the Arabs became interested in the archipelago, bringing with them Islam to Indonesia’s shores. Bali held little interest for the Arab traders so it was largely left alone. Throughout Indonesia, traditional beliefs in mysticism and the spiritual world remain strong, despite the common practice of imported faiths that forbid such strong beliefs.

While the impact this has had on the Islamic faith is often controversial, for the Balinese, the two have merely blend to create the distinctive religion they follow today.

to be continued…..

Bali Travel Guide and Review – Part 2

Article by Dave Waldheim

A Bali Guide that has complete details of Balinese history, culture and includes reviews and resources

Balinese Castes

The Balinese Hindu religion regards a traditional caste system though it has never been as divisive as its Indian ascendant. This is for the most part due to the fact that over 90% of Balinese consist of to the lowest ‘Sudra’ caste, and in India would have been seen as ‘untouchable’. Given their dominance such postures in Bali would not be realistic. Nevertheless, inter-marriage remains rare and discouraged.

The three upper castes are together recognized as the ‘Triwangsa’ (‘three peoples’) representing Brahmana, Kesayatria and Wesia. Caste is specified by birth but is rarely reflected in a person’s line of work, although only a Brahmana can be suited to be a Pedanda high priest, and only Brahmana may take the task of rectifying masks from the ‘Barong’ dance as they harbour the force to protect themselves from the evil spirits.

Balinese Names

Upon hearing a Balinese friends name, you can establish some elements of his or her background. First, the name will often indicate the cast to which they belong. For instance, if you meet someone named Ida Bagus, you recognize they belong to the highest Brahmana caste or, if they are named Gusti, they will almost for certain belong to the Wesia caste. The Balinese also name their children in order of birth. Together with a personal name, unique in the family, a Balinese child will be awarded a more common name. The firstborn is often Wayan or Putu while the second born in general carries the name of Made or Kadek. The third child usually is Nyoman or Komang and the fourth is always Ketut; with the birth of a fifth child, the naming cycle commences again.

Children

The Balinese dote on their children, a devotion that no doubt contributes to the calm and relaxed behaviour of the island’s population. At birth the baby’s umbilical cord is buried with oblations to protect them throughout their lives. Until the child reaches three months of age, they are permanently carried as it is regarded as unclean and disrespectful if they should touch the ground before that age. Balinese children are discouraged from crawling, believed to be only the actions of an animal, and learn to walk at a very young age. Upon reaching 105 days, the baby will be ornamented with bracelets and anklets. A further 105 days later, a ceremony is held to signify their entry into adulthood. The passage through puberty is celebrated with a tooth filing ceremony, aimed to flatten any pointed teeth that may represent evil and designed to curb sinful emotions and actions such as greed, anger, jealousy, stupidity, and adultery. .

Religion

Bali is a predominantly Hindu Island, surviving in an Islamic nation. Minority populations of Muslims, Christians and Buddhists are also found on the island.

Little is known of the introduction of Hinduism in Bali though it doubtlessly involved the Indian traders who came to these parts for the spice trade over two thousand years ago. Given its physical isolation from the ancestral religion, Balinese Hinduism has since developed into a unique version of the ancient faith. Although the basics remain the same, many of the gods worshiped on Bali are unknown in India and vice versa. Vast Hindu kingdoms were also found in neighbouring islands but they disappeared soon after the Arabs became interested in the archipelago, bringing with them Islam to Indonesia’s shores. Bali held little interest for the Arab traders so it was largely left alone. Throughout Indonesia, traditional beliefs in mysticism and the spiritual world continue to be strong, despite the common practice of imported faiths that forbid such strong beliefs.

While the impact this has had on the Islamic faith is often controversial, for the Balinese, the two have simply blend to create the distinctive religion they follow today.

Life in Bali revolves around the temple. There are literally thousands of temples throughout the island, ranging from small backyard shrines, to large public temple complexes. These temples play host to hundreds of ceremonies each year; colourful public displays of Balinese devotion to their gods. Each temple is dedicated to a specific god or goddess. For example, every village has a “Pura Dalem”, a temple devoted to the god Shiva, the ‘destroyer’. It is at the Pura Dalem, that ceremonies for the dead are held, most commonly cremations.

The biggest celebration in Bali is that of Nyepi, the Balinese New Year. In the weeks leading up to Nyepi, each Balinese village laboriously creates an elaborate giant paper mache “ogah ogah”. On the eve of Nyepi, men from the village parade these creations through the streets, setting off firecrackers and ceremoniously fighting the ogah ogah’s from other villages. This lively festival represents the purging of all evil from the island of Bali. Late that night, before Nyepi officially begins, each village must set fire to their ogah ogah, thereby banishing the bad spirits from their village. These days these giant statues are really quite spectacular and competition means much time and money can be spent. As a result some villagers are reluctant to destroy their works of art as required by their religion, creating some discontent and criticism from the community. After all this commotion, on the day of Nyepi, no Balinese may leave their home or light their lamps. The more devout will spend the day preying with their families. This rule of no activity applies to tourists as well and the streets are policed to ensure absolute silence.

to be continued…..

About the Author

Bali Travel Guide is a comprehensive guide to the island of Bali, a collaboration by Jenifer Bird and Dave Waldheim. A complete Bali introduction with travel tips, reviews and bali hotels such as the Ritz Carlton Bali. You can collect the parts of this travel guide here from this website or download it as a comp

Bali Travel Guide and Review – Part 1

Article by Dave Waldheim

Bali Introduction: The Geography

Bali is a small volcanic island covering around 5000 square kilometers, just south of the equator. Central Bali is dominated by the island’s major volcanic peaks, from which the land steadily descends all the way down to sea level on the northern and eastern coasts; the southern Bali peninsula is largely flat. There are four major volcanoes in Bali, the highest being Mt Agung at 3124m. Agung erupted violently in 1963 and although many people died in the eruption it has since been a blessing to the Balinese in providing some of the richest soil in Indonesia. The next four highest mountains are no longer alive but the smaller Mt Batur (1717m) is one of the most active volcanoes in the region, puffing regular clouds of ash into the air. Bali, being such a small island, has little space to create rivers of any notable size. Rather it is riddled with small creeks that are channeled into the intricate irrigation system that feeds Balinese rice paddies. Nevertheless, some major rivers do flow, namely the Sungai Pakrisan (“Kris River”), the Sungai Petanu (“Cursed River”) and the Ayung, Bali’s longest river.

Bali Introduction : The History

Many years ago Bali was divided into eight Hindu kingdoms. These small kingdoms were powerful but prone to fighting each other, which weakened their resistance to foreign invasion. As early as the sixth century, Javanese kings conquered parts of Bali although Balinese princes often continued to rule as puppets with Javanese sovereignty pulling their strings. Nevertheless power continued to bounce between various kingdoms of Bali and Java. As links with Java strengthened, Javanese script, sculpture and temples began to appear on the island. Late in the tenth century, ties between the islands were solidified with the marital union of a Balinese Prince and a Javanese Princess. The Javanese Majapahit kingdom conquered Bali in the thirteenth century by vanquishing the semi-demonic king of Bali at the time, ‘Dalem Bedulu’, and attempting to eradicate the ‘vile’ Balinese princes and their ‘barbaric’ customs. Ironically, the supreme Majapahit ruler gave a Balinese the position of ‘King of Bali’, a position that gained little respect from the majority of Balinese who continued to refuse to recognize Javanese sovereignty. The Majapahit presence in Bali turned out to be short and turbulent and during the ensuing centuries, much of the unique Balinese Hindu culture and traditions that we see in Bali today were created. This was possibly a result of a community determined to protect their individuality and not be overcome by imported Javanese culture.

Contact with the west began when a Dutch fleet stumbled across Bali in 1597 and felt they had found ‘paradise’. Many of the crew refused to return home but stories of a magical place leaked back to their homeland. With Dutch royalty eager to establish relations, Dutch ships bearing gifts for the Balinese kings were dispatched. However, from a trading perspective, Bali had little to offer so the opportunity to develop international relations was restricted at first. Originally, its primary export was slaves but as the world slave trade was curtailed, the Balinese Kings turned to other commodities such as coconut oil, thereby putting Bali in a position to enter the world trading market.

Dutch interest in the Indonesian islands changed into the seventeenth century and the merchant ships gave way to war ships. The Dutch had overcome many Javanese kingdoms through ancient principles of divide and conquer and the same approach was taken in Bali. As the Balinese continued to resist, the Dutch became more and more aggressive. Stories of their barbaric tactics were not received well in their homeland and protests led them to complete their invasion more tactfully. Surprisingly, once the Dutch secured control, they protected the island from outside influences and encouraged them to maintain much of their culture and traditions. Grateful of this as we are today, their reasons were not purely benevolent: they considered the Balinese controllable with their peaceful religion but were wary should that religion change to a more fundamental variety.

World War 2 brought a new era as Japanese armies took over from the Dutch. The Japanese presence in Bali was short lived and they left without a trace as they lost the war. The Dutch tried to return to the Indonesian islands, but their desperate attempts to regain power in the colony were condemned all over the world. Together with the rest of the Dutch East Indies archipelago, Bali was handed over to a new independent Indonesian government that emerged in 1949. Bali had finally lost its liberty and fell to its destiny of economic and political dependence on neighboring Java.

Bali Introduction : The Population

Bali is bursting, with an estimated population of over three million people. Through the controversial transmigration program, Balinese communities have developed in the outer regions of Indonesia such as Sumatra and Sulawesi, in order to relieve the islands’ already stretched natural resources.

to be continued…..

About the Author

Bali Travel Guide is a comprehensive guide to the island of Bali, a collaboration by Jenifer Bird and Dave Waldheim. A complete Bali introduction with travel tips and reviews of all major bali resorts and bali hotels such as the Hyatt Bali.