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Balinese
Life
The Invisible Stronghold of Bali
There are thousands
of grandiose temples scattered throughout
Bali, starting from the lowlands on coastal
areas up to the peak of mountains, from
self-contained to general public temples.
Their festivals fall on different days,
some are based on the pawukon cycle every
(210 days) and others held annually based
on lunar years. In essence, the function
of these temple are dedicated to glorify
and honor deeply Almighty God and purified
ancestors that are considered to have become
deities or devas. The existence of many
temples in Bali and the solemnity of devotees
to do their religious duties then led tourists
to give epithets like the “Islands
of the Gods”, “Paradise Island”
and so forth.
A
distinctive multitiered shrine called meru
can be seen from a distance and has become
a “landmark” temple as if it has
given an identity to the island of Bali.
Some hotels in Bali and commercial products
take this meru image as their logo, or a
part of their corporate identity. As soon
as one sees this logo, he will directly
associate it to the Island of Bali. This
type of shrine symbolizes Mount Meru or
Mahameru that is situated in the center
of the universe. And the mountain itself
symbolizes the abode of God.
Historically, this meru evolved from a simple
shape of prehistoric stoned terraces cut
into the sides of prominent peaks. In the
long run, it developed and is adjusted in
keeping with human civilization and appliance
technology so evolving further eventually
forms its current shape.
In most cases, temples, other than village
and clan associations are usually located
away from public housing. They rest in a
tranquil and peaceful place, even at remote
places away from village housing. Mostly,
they are founded based on divine revelation
received by holy priests or sages in the
past during their meditation. So, now besides
devotees celebrating at temple festivals
to perform regular worship, some may also
take advantage of it to be a place of meditation
beyond festival days. They, perhaps in small
private groups, may intend to trace back
the primordial peace and inspiration for
their daily activities as their predecessors
did. These temples belong to Kahyangan Jagat
(Sanctuaries of the World) that disseminate
on the nine-fold division of space based
on the four cardinal directions, their four
intermediaries and the center. All of these
are considered to be the invisible stronghold
of the island.
Temples or pura is a holy place for Hindu’s
used for various religious-related activities
like cultural, educational and social ones.
To maintain its holiness in order that it
will be persistently functioned as a house
of worship, the Hindu council and other
authorized institutions issues regulations
for its devotees or visitors who enter the
temple area. Some cautions of entry prevail
for those who are :
-
in a condolence period due to death of
one’s family or other members, belonging
to the same ancestral shrine;
- in
a temporarily impure condition like menstrual
period (woman), abortion (wife-husband)
and childbirth (wife-husband);
- patita
a child whose parents are unknown; pregnant
women without a partner who are responsible
for her pregnancy; married couples who
have not performed religious rites yet,
mentally ill people, or any kinds of other
impurities before acquiring purificatory
rites in accordance with religious teachings;
- wearing
clothes that are not appropriate with
ethics. (BTN/Punia)
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