Bali: Island of The Brave

BY Dr. N. P. CHAKRAVARTI
(Director-General of Archaeology, Government of India)

BALI, Literally meaning “the island of the brave”, is a small island of irregular shape lying to the East of Java. It is less than 100 miles in length and 50 in breadth, half of which only is inhabited by a population of a million and a half, the other half consisting of forests and hills being left to the denizens of the wilderness. But nonetheless this charming island, where nature has poured forth her unlimited bounties, has a special interest for India. While the rest of Indonesia is now Muslim, Bali, since its colonization by the Indians in the early centuries of the Christian era, has remained mainly Hindu.

Very little is known of the early history of Bali. The first historical name we come across in the inscriptions of the early 10th century is that of Ugrasena, the ruler of Bali. Towards the end of the same century, Dharmavamsa, the king of Java, conquered Bali and appointed Udayana, a Balinese nobleman married to a Javanese princess, as his Governor.

The offspring of this union was Erlangga, a name famous in Javanese history, who after passing through many vicissitudes of fortune conquered Java in 1035 A.D. and became the combined ruler of Java and Bali. During the next three centuries Bali had a chequered history, sometimes as an independent kingdom and sometimes as nominally subordinate to Java, until it was overrun in 1343 A.D. by Gaja Mada, the famous Prime Minister of the Majapahit rulers, and annexed to the Javanese empire along with many other islands of the archipelago.

This was a turning point in the cultural history of Bali, as from this time onwards it came under the direct influence of Javanese culture. Towards the end of the 15th century, not able to withstand the onslaught of Islam, the last Majapahit ruler, together with the other Javanese who wanted to save their religion and culture, took refuge in Bali which remained free from the Muslim incursion and had preserved its independence.

Bali was already divided into nine principalities, each under a separate Governor more or less independent. A Majapahit prince, now made himself the overlord of Bali under the title of Deva Agung with Gelgel as the capital. After its destruction in the 17th century the capital was shifted to Klungkung.

The Dutch came into contact with Bali as early as 1597, but they did not interfere with its internal administration till the middle of the 19th century. But in 1814, during the British occupation, Boeleleng was occupied for a short while by the Raffles Government because of some domestic trouble. But all this time internecine quarrels were going on among the chiefs, resulting in misrule and continuous shifting of power. This gave an opportunity to the Dutch to gradually bring one district after another under their own administration through military expeditions.

Even then they did not find it easy. The last expedition was sent as late as 1908 against the Deva Agung of Klungkung. On the day the palace was besieged and all seemed lost, the Dutch Army was suddenly faced with a procession of men, women and children dressed in their best coming out of the palace. The king himself was in their midst in full regalia seated on his golden chair which was carried on the shoulders of his trusted ministers.

At first, fearing an attack, the army opened fire, but there was no reprisal. At a given signal a priest in white robes raised his sword and struck it into the breasts of women and children about him. When the amazed soldiers refused to fire, the women and children begged to be killed as they preferred death to a life of subjugation and dishonour. The prince was the first to fall and with him were many of his brave followers.

The few who could be caught alive were interned on the neighbouring island of Lambok and Klungkung was formally incorporated into the Dutch empire. With this last sacrifice the Hindu rule of the island of the brave came to an end.

In the present set-up the principalities have all federated into an autonomous State, governed by a Council of the eight Rajahs, assisted by a representative body chosen according to democratic methods.

Balinese society is divided into four Vamsas or castes–Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra, the same division as in Ancient India. Polygamy is not forbidden and a man is allowed to take a wife from a lower caste but not from a higher one. They believe in Vedas, and their principal deities are Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, who form the Hindu Trinity, the last occupying the highest place. There is also a host of subsidiary gods and goddesses well-known in India, besides the numerous sea, mountain and forest deities and also wicked spirits. Their 18 Sasanas take the place of Indian Smritis and their social laws and rituals are guided by them. The pedendas or priests conduct all ceremonies but the Brahmans, who consider themselves spiritually higher, do not worship images in temples. This lesser form of worship viz., idol worship, is left to the members of the subordinate castes.

The life of the Balinese is centred round their temples. Each household has special shrines for ancestors where offerings of food and flowers are kept for the departed. In addition, there is the common village temple which is not only used as a place of worship but for everything connected with village community life. The temple gates are guarded by figures of demons who are ever awake to ward off evils. Beyond the main gate is a succession of three courtyards, each part for a particular purpose.

The three principal ceremonies in the life of the Balinese are the teeth-filing ceremony, marriage and funeral. The teeth-filing ceremony is confined to the male and is performed on attaining puberty. Not more than six teeth are filed, and unless this is done one is not allowed to hold any responsible position in the village.

Boys and girls are quite free to mix with one another and to choose their own mates. But permission of the parents on either side is essential. After sanction has been obtained comes the betrothal ceremony, when a number of relatives and friends of both sexes visit the girl’s house with presents of clothes, ornaments, betel leaves, and other eatables. Then on an auspicious day fixed by the priest, the boy, accompanied by his parents and others, goes to the girl’s house to fetch the bride. The marriage ceremony is performed by the priest in the temple of the boy’s village in the presence of his people and the village headman.

The Balinese cremate their dead and cremation is their most spectacular and expensive ceremony. The expenses are so heavy and the auspicious moments are so rare, that one has to wait two to three years before it can be performed. In a rich family the body is kept mummified by a special process in a specially built pavilion near the home of the deceased. Offerings of food and flowers have to be made for the dead several times a day and the body cannot be left unattended even for a minute. The neighbours always come to help in the vigil and they have to be entertained with food and drink.

The day before cremation the ceremony of fetching water from a holy spring or river is performed. Offerings of flowers, food and various articles of toilet are carried on silver platters in procession for the goddess of water.

The day of the cremation is a great one and crowds gather from miles around. It is not a day for sorrow but for rejoicing. Various offerings of flowers, food and clothing are carried in procession to the cremation ground for the use of the departed soul on its way to the other world.

Accompanied by the Gamelan orchestra, women specially selected for their beauty march with offerings on silver platters and bowls; then come the Kris (ceremonial knife) bearers in their full regalia. They are followed by another group of women carrying the holy water, and last of all are carried the ceremonial articles required for cremation. Most striking among the latter is the decorated cremation tower–carved in wood and got ready at great cost after month of labour–where the body is placed in a niche and the coffin made in the shape of an animal (usually that of a cow), in which the body is to be cremated later, is on view.

On reaching the cremation ground the body is washed with the holy water and placed in the coffin, and at the appropriate moment the officiating priest lights the pyre on which are placed the coffin and the tower amidst cheers from the crowd.

The whole thing is ablaze in a few minutes, but nobody would think of leaving until the last glow of fire has died away. The relatives collect the ashes on the following day and consign them to the river nearby, scattering petals of flowers on them till they have been carried away by the stream.

Of the arts and crafts of Bali the most famous are wood-carving and silver repouse work, both of great antiquity. The art of painting on cloth and illuminating palm leaf manuscripts according to traditional designs are also ancient. The preparation of Batik cloth with intricate designs, in gold when meant for ceremonial use, is of more modern origin and acquired through Java.

The Balinese are artistic by temperament. Whatever they do there is always an artistic touch about it. There is an art even in the laying out of rice-fields in endless terraces, watered by the age old system of irrigation. This has been found so satisfactory that the P.W.D. have preferred not to change it. The distribution of water is left to the water conservation associations organised by the Balinese themselves.

The women vie with one another in producing the most artistic arrangement of cones of fruits, flowers and rice cakes as offerings to the temple. With very simple materials such as banana plants, bamboos and the hearts of the cocoanut palm, all of which they possess in plenty, they produce wonderful decorative designs. On the occasion of the tour of the Indonesian President and the Prime Minister of India, practically the whole of the 100 mile route was decorated with such objects. Even the several dozen gateways which were put up on the route had as their decorative material only leaves, flowers and sliced bananas dipped in colour. The general effect was magnificent.

No article on Bali would be complete without a short account of dances and theatres. Every village has its own Gamelan orchestra and dance troupe. During our recent visit, in every village and town were received with Gamelan music. Boys and girls stood lined up on either side of the road shouting “Merdeka” (liberty); in some places girls threw flowers at the guests or danced, prettily dressed, to the music.

Besides Wayang, or shadow plays, which are popular throughout Bali and Java, Bali has its own special dances, which must be performed in the temple courtyard and of which there are half a dozen varieties. Ketjak or the monkey dance is the most exciting. Of the secular dances the most popular is the Djanger, performed by boys and girls, and may be termed the Balinese opera. Most of the stories are taken from popular legends, both ancient and modern, and are accompanied by the Gamelan orchestra and intermittent songs.

One of the oldest dances in Bali is the Radjang where the dancers impersonate the celestial nymphs dancing in honour of the gods. This dance is confined only to the boys and girls of the villages of Tenganan and Asak in the province of Karangasen. These villages are the only remnants of ancient Bali and have their own traditions which are different from the rest of the island.

-By courtesy of the Indonesian Information Service.