Hinduism in Bali, Indonesia

The Effect of Cultural, Tourism and Government Support on the Survival of Hinduism in Bali, Indonesia

Bali Island is one of the best tourism destinations in the world. Many tourists come to Bali for tourism attractions in the midst of the hustle and bustle of main cities, such as Denpasar, Kuta and Nusa Dua, while some of them also search peace at the Hindu temples in Uluwatu and Ubud villages along with and enjoying relaxation in yoga centers and spa houses. Visitors are fascinated by the peacefulness and devotion of local Hindu Balinese ladies bent on their knees on the beach sands and giving their offering to the gods every day when the sun sets. “A Storied Paradise, Tempered by Reality” article in New York Times notes “Reverence for deified ancestors is common, as is devotion to a pantheon of divinities derived from South Asian Hinduism, a religion once pervasive in Indonesia but found there now only in Bali” (Cotter). It is relevant with the questions that are always asked by Bali’s visitors: Why only Bali Island is it that Hinduism survives in Indonesia, and why is it that Bali is known as the Indonesia’s Hindu realm?.

Bali, located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands between Java on the west and Lombok on the east, among other 34 provinces in Indonesia locates in Southeast region which has majority Islamic population, is predominantly Hindu. Hinduism’s development in Indonesia affected how Hinduism development in Bali. The “History of Hindu Bali” article on the “Wisata Dewata” website informs that Hinduism entered Bali at “the second century” and at first was known as “Sivaism” before it became Hinduism at “the eighth century”. Hinduism was spread by “Maharsi Markandeya” who came to Bali with his disciples and opened rice fields and taught “Siva philosophy” on the Agung Mountain, and then it spread to the west of Bali Island (History). It was the start of Besakih Temple which still exists until now in Bali. During the “tenth...