Bali, the paradise of the gods
Its vegetation rice terraces and forests filled with monkeys and tropical flowers, its miles of beaches still blue waters, corals conducive to diving, cliffs and waves for surfers make it a dream destination. Only island in Indonesia to have retained its origins Hindu beliefs, Bali has yet religion strongly tinged with animism, very different from that of India. It also loves water and animals such as bats ...
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| Fishing Boat Lovina Beach |
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| Puja at Gilimanuk |
From the first century, a population coming from India
Already in the first century AD, the great Greek geographer Ptolemy attested to the presence in Indonesia, it was then called the East Indies, a population coming from India. This influence was even felt in the fourth and fifth century and an inscription in Sanskrit and Indian religious language, making mention of ritual sacrifice of animals was discovered in Java.
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| fishing net in Lovina Beach |
Until the arrival of Arab traders in the fifteenth century in the archipelago, the Hinduism was everywhere predominant religion in Indonesia, but today it remains as Bali, where she was heavily tinged with animism. These original religious practices, the beauty of the temples unique attached to unique landscapes make Bali an island apart.
Balinese temples exist by thousands in the island, sometimes lost in the depths of a forest, lost along a lake or the magnificent rice cultivation in terraces, they seem abandoned, nearly ruined, and relive suddenly during a puja or ceremony of offerings, when night falls. Each Balinese pray the gods in various temples where he regularly attends a Westerner respectful of their beliefs is always welcome, provided it takes to wear a sarong at the Balinese sarong which women will add a belt and long sleeves. Thus there is a temple to get into benefits for the family or banjar, another for the village or Subak, a profession for the last ...
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| Sacred Headwaters Air Panas Banjar |
The most important temples, known as 'directional temples' are indiscriminately used by all population. All from the humble to the most imposing, are made in the same way: a wall, one or more courses that are accessed through a porch symbolizing Mount Meru, the sacred mountain of the gods, a tower called kulkul, altars multistage thatched said merus used to worship a god or an ancestor of both the water, a volcano, a padmasana or lotus-shaped throne.
Balinese Hinduism to
The Balinese worship has built on three beliefs: Hinduism, animism and ancestor worship is what makes it so rich and varied . India and Hinduism, he took the veneration of the three main deities: Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, not to mention countless local deities festivals punctuate the calendar of the Balinese. To comply with the basic principles of the Indonesian constitution provides for the belief in one God, the Balinese have invented the concept of Widi Wasa Sanghyang, the God of the Universal Order, which allows them to quietly go about their various ceremonies !
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| storey pagoda of Pura Ulun Daru Bratan |
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| Huge range of Amber |
Nobody is fooled, but it offers a semblance of unity to these islands so diverse. Actually, these three faiths mingle intimately and Balinese religious festivals, always lavish, colorful and cheerful, all characterized by offerings of flowers, fruits and vegetables to the deity you want honor, dancing to the sound of Argentina Player gamelan kinds of drums of various sizes and tones.
Balinese dances, stylized and associated with religious beliefs, are justifiably famous, and several types but the most famous and most movingly, the Legong is directly derived from the traditions of the Indian rajas. Always understood by very young girls from eight to twelve years ago, dressed in rich jewel like real goddesses, coated with gold brocade, with both hieratic gestures and graceful, he mimes the story of the legendary king whose Lasem we do not even know existed and if the eternal struggle between good and evil.
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| Adoration of bats in Goa The wa |
Stranger still are the dances of ecstasy, the Sanghyang, this time performed by young boys dressed in loincloths checkered black and white. During the dance, they fall into a trance, their bodies are, they believe, then invested by the spirits of the celestial nymphs who express their demands and a new course puja. They are intended to protect the village against evil spirits.
Day of death
The most important Balinese religious ceremony is of course one of the dead to be successful to allow the deceased to finally break the cycle of reincarnation and stop the wheel of life being incinerated. It is a beautiful and memorable celebration in which an entire village is invited, but also all foreigners whose presence is not perceived as intrusive but honors the deceased's family.
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| Melancholy the Legong dance |
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| Rice terraces near Ubud |
In the village temple adorned with flowers and offerings, the family has formed two separate areas where it will receive friends came to present their offerings: one for men, the other for women. Each family member has put on his best clothes to honor the dead, each woman has her best sarong and has carefully makeup. All wear big smiles to not grieve the death and keep him on earth. No tears are allowed since it celebrates a happy day. The gamelan players are having a field day, dance sometimes. The deceased's body was sealed in the effigy of a cow or a bull. Holders of the raises and the joyous procession sets off for the place of cremation carefully chosen by the celebrant. While asparagus is the effigy of gasoline and ignited it, each politely waiting all burns before feast together to honor the memory of the dead.
South so popular with surfers
Arriving in Bali from Java by bus and boat and see the sun slowly illuminate the dawn, making them glow, near the coast and Gilimanuk Strait of Bali is a magical show . Fishing boats in the bow bizarrely sculpted monsters or dragons probably inspired by the Lombok lizards emerge slowly night. The outriggers provide stability boats, nets whirl in the air ...
The west coast, flat and monotonous, does not much interest. Denpasar, south of the island, is a modern city, crowded, noisy and without much charm. Once we saw the Bali Museum harboring a sample of all the architectural styles of the island, suffered the animation hectic Pasar Badung, the largest market in the capital where you can find just about anything, listened to the chirping of small birds trapped in the market and admired the craftsmanship of the Art Center Sanggraha Kriya Asta, five kilometers from the center but more expensive than in Ubud, it has exhausted the charms of the city . It would be a shame not to go to the extreme south of Bali and Uluwatu grow up, high and wild cliffs plunging into the rollers Wave impressive dance which surfers.
While tourists flock to the town of Ubud, you must stay there to taste the strange charm, and the famous Peking ducks! Extraordinary animation reigns day and night, reflecting all the gaiety of life of the Balinese.
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| Cremation in Ubud |
Factsheet
This trip can be done by:
. Atalanta, 5, rue de Sommerard, 75005 Paris, Tel. 01 55 42 81 00.
. Company in the world, 5 Avenue de l'Opera 75Paris, Tel.: 01 53 63 33 42.
Getting there
De Paris by Garuda, the Indonesian national airline that provides daily flight from London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam and can handle your pre-routing. 75, av des Champs-Elysees, 75008 Paris, Tel.: 01 44 95 15 50.
From Jakarta by Malaysia Airlines, 12, Bd des Capucines, 75009 Paris, Tel. 01 44 51 64 20.
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