than machinery.
No item for sale, whether food, clothes or baskets, at a public market like the Ubud Market has a fixed price. Everything is negotiable and haggling is part of the fun of shopping for locals and tourists alike.
Cockfighting is an ancient sport also undertaken to appease evil spirits during purification ceremonies. Although outlawed by the Indonesian government, it is still prevalent and a source of gambling.
Ducks are reared to feed on vermin that might damage the precious rice fields. In the process, they also fertilize the crops.
Children often eat communally, enjoying a handful of steamed rice with accompaniments such as satay lilit (meat with spices on a stick), while using a banana leaf as both table and plate. Here, a group of children gorge themselves during a temple festival, which often features rice and satay.
The main form of transport on the trio of islands known as the Gilis off the coast of Lombok is the horse and cart called cidomo.
Because Bali is Hindu rather than Muslim, rearing pigs and eating pork are not forbidden here. Most pigs end up as part of the traditional Balinese feast of babi guling (roast pig).
As Bali is a small island, it’s no surprise that fishing is a crucial industry. The daily catch is enjoyed by both locals and tourists.
The Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok have become a hugely popular tourist resort area, with hundreds of hotels and restaurants. However, transportation to these islands is still primitive. Every-thing from potatoes and rice to building supplies is brought over from Lombok on small boats and laboriously unloaded, then transported to their destination by horse-drawn cart.
When school or work has finished and the tide is out, soccer is frequently enjoyed on Kuta Beach.
Both sides of the front of the fishing boats known as jukung are often plastered with eyes to repel evil spirits in the sea, where Balinese believe all demons reside.
The delightful village of Jungutbatu on the island of Nusa Lembongan enjoys a spectacular location under the watchful eye of the Gunung Agung volcano on the mainland.
THE BALINESE HINDU RELIGION
ORNATE TEMPLES AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES
The unique form of Hinduism observed by most Balinese unconditionally dominates their lifestyle and even influences modern-day business practices in a manner not always completely evident to most visitors.
No temple setting is more spectacular than that at Pura Tanah Lot, which faces the thunderous Indian Ocean. This rocky islet is, however, only accessible to Hindus and is unreachable by anyone at high tide.
Religion encompasses every single facet of Balinese life in obvious ways, such as temples and ceremonies, but also in art, medicine and architecture as well as the Balinese language, calendar and names. About 92 percent of the population of Bali, located amidst the world’s most populous Islamic nation, practice Agama Hindu Dharma, sometimes still referred to as Agama Tirtha (‘Religion of the Holy Waters’).
Hinduism originated from India via Java, which ruled Bali a millennium ago. The Balinese version was formulated when priests and rulers from the powerful Majapahit Hindu kingdom that ruled Java and beyond fled to Bali in the 15th century as Islam encroached, and temples such as Pura Tanah Lot were built. Nowadays, Balinese Hinduism embraces elements of Buddhism, which flourished in Bali during the 8th and 9th centuries, and animist beliefs that predate the introduction of Hinduism.
Like Hindus in India, Balinese believe in reincarnation and karma and worship the trinity of Brahma (the Creator of the Universe), Shiva/Siwa (the Destroyer) and Vishnu/Wisnu (the Protector). Each is a manifestation of the Supreme God of Sanghyang Widhi, which is a more recent appendage to Balinese Hinduism to comply with the Indonesian Pancasila national principle of worshipping ‘One Almighty God’. Other fundamental differences to the Hinduism practiced in India are the numerous ancient indigenous beliefs, including black magic, and the adaptation of the religion to suit Bali’s topography. For example, the Balinese believe that the gods reside in the mountains, particularly the revered and volatile Gunung Agung, and should be kept happy at every opportunity, while the demons dwell in the sea. Moreover, numerous spirits, whether dewa (male) or dewi (female), penetrate the physical world and also need to be appeased with innumerable shrines and frequent offerings.
Tourists flock to photograph the Pura Tanah Lot from the mainland for its remarkable location while worshippers come in droves as it is one of the six highly revered cardinal temples on Bali.
The underlying philosophy is to seek a balance between the forces of good and order (dharma) and evil and disorder (adharma). This and other values and beliefs are amalgamated into Tri Hita Karana (‘Three Causes of Happiness’) that strive to unify and maintain harmony between humans and nature, between humans and God and the spirits, and among humans themselves. The religion dictates every personal event, such as marriage, as well as rituals for children, who are regarded as reincarnations of ancestors. For example, there are ceremonies at 42 days, when new mothers are allowed to return to the temples, and 105 days, when babies can touch the ground. Also, later in life and before marriage, teeth are evenly filed so that they are not pointy and resemble a demon’s. The most important religious ceremony for the family is cremation. The local community helps construct and then incinerate a wooden tower before spreading the ashes out at sea in order to liberate the soul and allow it to enter heaven as part of the reincarnation process. Most events are dictated by the lunar saka or sasih calendar of 360 days or by the unique wuku or pawukon 210-day calendar used for festivals and choosing auspicious days for important events, such as starting a business and planting rice.
Hinduism in India strictly classifies people, for example, the dalit or ‘untouchables’, but the caste system in Bali is nowhere near as discriminatory nor as obvious to outsiders. The top three castes, whose members can trace their ancestors to the Majapahit rulers, are brahmana (the highest), ksatriyasa/satriya and wesya, although 90–95 percent of Balinese are sudra (‘commoners’), also called jaba (‘outsiders’). The only way a non-Hindu can easily identify a Balinese person’s caste is by the prefix used for their complete name, such as Ida Bagus, a male brahmana name. Priests have a multitude
