Beach in Bali
BALI
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BALI |
| Dances and Dramas |
With over 1000 troupes, dance
is at the very center of the Balinese life. On Java dance is the prerogative of the
courts, but on Bali it's most prevalent in the villages. 
The Balinese consider Javanese dancing boring, while Javanese think Balinese
dancing noisy and vulgar. Dancers on Bali perform for the pleasure of the gods, prestige,
and the entertainment of friends and family. Gambuh, wayang wong and topeng are dance drama, when legong is the classical dance of the
princely court. Gambuh is the oldest known dance drama in
Bali, it is inspired by the Javanese literature. Very few active village gambuh troupes
remain. The wayang wong, is a drama where the dancers play
the roles of the shadows puppets of the Javanese Wayang kulit. The players are masked and
their movements follow the style of the shadow puppets.| Religion and belief | |
| Outside of India, Bali is the
largest Hindu outpost in the world. On Bali Hinduism has developed along lines all its
own. In fact, the way in which Balinese practice their frontier Hinduism is still their
greatest art. Rather than being 'characters', the Hindu gods are experienced as abstractions associated with natural forces: Wisnu with rain and nurturing, and Brahma with creativity, fire and volcanos. |
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Balinese pantheon still includes
sacred powers specific to Bali, usually under the term of Bhatara, or god. Here are
the most prevalent of these specific gods. The Supreme God: Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa is the ' One Supreme Unknowable God', Ancients kings: they are also influential deities, Deified Ancestors: they are the most intimate gods. The relationship between a Balinese and his ancestors is at once reverent and practical. The souls of the dead can be absorbed into heaven only by the purification rites of the living. In return, the ancestors bestow blessings and sometimes advice through trance mediums. Bhatara kawitan is the term for the original clan ancestor. Gods residing in nature: the most powerful are those associated with mountains, lakes, and sea. Ida Bhatara Gunung Agung is the god of Mount Agung; Ida Bhatara Dewi Ulun Danu Batur is the goddess of Lake Batur crater. The one of the sea has no specific name but segara which means 'sea'. |
| Dewi Sri. The beloved goddess of rice, Dewi Sri is the anima of a rice cult of particular beauty. Her shrines in the rice fields are simple structures of virgin bamboo. Her realm includes granaries and the rice basket, and she is honored in a number of different cyclical rituals, including the daily offerings set out after cooking. Saraswati. Saraswati, consort of Brahma, is the goddess of Knowledge, wisdom, and the arts. She is usually depicted as a beautiful, richly dressed woman riding a goose. Her anniversary falls on the 210 days Balinese calendar, when offerings are made to books, and reading and writing are nit allowed. |
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| Since May 18 , 1997 Updated on 01/16/99 |
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