Temples of Bali

Bali, the smallest island province of Indonesia, is predominantly Hindu but the rituals and religious practices are very different from those of current day India which also has majority of population following that faith. Every place has temples but what is so special about the temples in Bali?
I was fascinated when I saw their temples or Puras as they are called there which are so different from the temples of India, not only in their architecture but also in their beliefs.

Whatever may be the physical differences in architecture, all Hindu temples are made under the same principle.

In the construction of a Hindu temple, after a detailed study of the site following Vastushastra, a pot made of panchdhaatu ( five metals: gold, silver, copper, brass and lead) is placed just under the sanctum sanctorum along with other things. Sometimes iron is also put in place of brass.
Similarly, in the construction of a Balinese temple, the meru which forms the path through which God enters the temple is very special. A pripih which is a metal plate made of panchdhaatu wrapped in grass, flowers and cloth is placed to the base of the temple.
This place is the area of maximum electromagnetic waves on top of which the garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum is built.

A North Indian temple                                      A South Indian temple                                   A Bali temple

I do not know what I am writing is correct but what I gathered from talking to people is what I write. Proper and full knowledge would need a very long time and a longer stay in that beautiful island. Maybe, I will make another visit only to study the  temples in depth.

You see multi tiered roofs covered by black palm fiber from sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) which is in stark contrast to an Indian temple where the roofs are sloping and made of stone or concrete. The black thatch from sugar palm is resistant to sea water having a life of 10 to 15 years. This black thatch can only be used on top of temples and is forbidden to be used on houses. Once worn out they are replaced by new one and the old ones are thrown away into the sea so that they do not get reused or even misused.

roof of a temple

The architecture of temples in India reflect the different periods in which they were built so we find a variety of architecture in temples. There is also a difference in style between a North Indian and a South Indian temple.

Pura as I mentioned earlier is a temple complex in Bali. It is derived from the Sanskrit word Pur which means a walled city or place.  A Balinese temple has a wall surrounding the complex. Most Balinese have a family temple and outsiders are not permitted to enter the main temple. Some idol less temples are used for ceremonies and festivals where offerings are carried by women folk on gebogan. On the other hand, a Hindu temple in India always has an idol inside and is used for worship or other religious ceremonies.

A typical Balinese temple follows trimandala or the three mandala architectural pattern.

The candi bentar is the outermost gate, kori agung follows next which opens only on special days and then the paduraksha gate. No one is permitted to enter through the innermost gate.

entrance to temple

An entrance to a temple may have candi bentar, in which the gate is split like in the picture above. The word "candi" has been adopted from Javanese word for temples. The gate is guarded by temple guardians in Saput Poleng, the white and black checkered cloth which is tied at the waist.

kori agung entrance

Then there is other style called kori agung gate, in which the gate is covered.

Paduraksha gate

Paduraksha is the last gate or entrance to the main temple. The gates are guarded by guardians in Sabuk Polenta. The gate opens only on special occassion but no one is permitted to pass through it.

Paduraksha gate is the last area which contains the padmasana or the lotus throne.

throne of Acintya on padmasana

Empty throne of the Supreme God with Acintya and under that is AUM, Balinese style

Hinduism was initiated in Bali by Rhrishi Markandaya in 500 CE. People worshiped the many forms of God namely Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. But in the 16th century, religious reformer Dang Hyang Dwijendra and Gelgel King Batu Renggong, a priest introduced San Hyang Widhi Wasa or Sanghyang Widi Wasa.

This movement started when Islam started spreading in Java. Dang Hyang from east Java started building temples throughout Bali and propounding the "All-In-One God" concept to be at par with the Islam and Christian philosophy of one God.

Acintya which is derived from Sanskrit word Achintya (अचिन्त्य), which means something which is beyond contemplation, thought and imagination or  cannot be conceived.
It is depicted with a naked human form of sun god with radiating flames all around. He sits on an empty throne with the base of lotus. The throne is empty to represent that the Almighty who is "All in One" is something which is the one and only one and does not have a form.

The Acintya form signifies the monotheistic concept, that is belief in One God.
A three tiered meru temple is dedicated to him here at Pura Uluwatu where Dang Hyang is said to have attained moksha or enlightenment.

Without going into too much detail about the architecture and layout of a typical Balinese temple, I shall proceed to the tiered roofs called Merus. Gods enter temples through merus. The Indian temples also follow this belief. In Nepal they are called pataka.

The number of  tiers in Meru vary from one to eleven but always odd in number. The size of the tiers keep on decreasing in size as they go up. Also, the more the number of merus in a temple, more important is the temple it is dedicated to. Odd numbers- why? An even number is in pairs and complete in itself  whereas an odd number means an even number plus one which represents the Almighty.

Acintya in a temple in Denpasar

The Hindu gods as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are manifestation of the one and the only One God--- Acintya. This point is also expounded in Tulsi Ramayana where Hanuman tells Ravana that Ram is that supreme entity by whose strength Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva create, nurture and destroy (Sundarkand 20:2).

11-tiered roof of a temple

Unlike the old Hindu temples in Central Java where there is just a pinnacle, a Bali temple has merus numbering from 1 to 11.

The number of tiers in a meru is always odd starting from one to eleven. That means a temple will have 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11. The size of tiers become smaller as they go up. Higher the meru, higher is the status of God inside the temple. Since, Shiva has always been held at high esteem, his temple always has 11 merus.

But does the number of merus have any meaning or are dedicated to any God?

temple tiers

I was told by a priest in Bali that:

1 tier meru is dedicated to Gunung Batur, a sacred mountain in Northern Bangli Regency or to a local deity

3---- to sages, priests who are venerated

5---- Panchamahabhoot, the five elements that  make up the universe. They being Prithvi (earth), Jal (water), Tej (fire), Vaayu (air) and Akaash (space)

7----- Saptarishi or the 7 sages in Indian mythology. The sages are Kashyap(कश्यप), Bhardwaj (भरद्वाज), Vashishtha(वशिष्ट), Atri(अत्रि), Gautam(गौतम), Vishwamitra(विश्वामित्र) and Jamadagni (जमदग्नि)

9----- for Brahma and Vishnu. Brahma being the creator and Vishnu, the preserver.

11--- Mount Maha Meru, the peak of Gods, that is Shiva. In many temples it also represents the main deity inside.

There are different types of pura, depending on the place and rituals attached to where they are located.

Pura segara or the temples of sea. Segara comes from the word Saagar which means ocean. These are meant to please the sea deities and are situated by the sea. Appeasing sea deities? Nature can bring both wrath and glory to a place. In order to calm the water deities, temples were constructed close to all water bodies.
Tanah lot, Ulluwatu are such examples. Uluwatu guards the Indian ocean while Tanah lot protect the huge waves from entering the land. 

Tanah Lot temple

Uluwatu temple

Ulu meaning an edge and watu a cliff. The temple stands on a cliff edge.

Kechak dance in Uluwatu temple

Kechak dance is a dance dramatization of the Hindu epic Ramayana.

Pura Kahyangan Jagad or the temples situated on mountains, or their foot or slopes. Mountains are said to be abode of Gods. Pura Besakih is one of the most revered temples in Bali. It is situated at the base of Mount Agung, an active volcano. Here, again as Balinese worship nature, in which they worship mountains, trees, water etc. as manifestations of the supreme entity which created everything.

Besakih temple

Pura Tirtha are situated beside lakes. Pura Ulun Danu is one such example.

This temple is dedicated to Devi Danu, the goddess of lake.
Balinese believe in harmony with nature and believe that since they are giving so much to us, we should be indebted to them and give something back to nature. Subak, which is the irrigation system rests on this belief. Temples are the center of this system and the temple priest or Pedanda, the supreme authority.
The water which is allocated from the lakes enters the irrigation system and supplied to paddy fields.

water supply to paddy fields in Ubud

terrace farming

Some temples are considered sacred and bathing in such water is said to be holy.
Pura desa situated within a city for religious activities.

a temple in Denpasar

discussion area in temple

Discussion hall or bale agung has wooden columns and does not have any wall surrounding it. I was told that discussions and meetings pertaining to religious beliefs are held here.

Apart from these, every family or clan has their own temples. So every family would be a part of one or other temple.

A religious practice which is followed in Bali is Nyepi or the silent day. It is a 24 hour period starting from 6 am until 6 am the next morning. It falls on the same day as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Chaitra Navratris in Northern India. these festivals are the beginning of a new lunar year. Since these festivals follow the lunar calendar, the dates are not fixed and change every year.

It is day of silence with no fire and no light in the house. The offices and even the airport is shut down that day.
It is a day of contemplation, of introspection, thinking of any bad things people might have done in that year. They ask for forgiveness from their family members the next day. It is turning your negative energy into a positive one and start of a new year fresh.

Punjung is offering of fruits, cut fruits to god before eating.