bali is a beautiful island in indonesia known as the island of the … · 2020. 6. 21. · hare...

Hare Krishna Centre - Leicester, UK - Ancient Vedic Kingdoms - Bali

Written by James Robinson CooperFriday, 27 March 2015 14:23 - Last Updated Friday, 02 February 2018 06:59

Bali is a beautiful island in Indonesia known as the "Island of the Gods" or the "Island of athousand temples" because of the many wonderful Hindu temples. They say there are moretemples than houses, each village having several temples and each home having a smalltemple. According to tradition these temples are tirthas, a bridge where humans and Godscommunicate. As in accordance with Vedic Vastu, the temples are co-ordinated with the naturalsurroundings such as the mountains and seas.

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Above is the mother temple of Pura Besakih, 1000 metres high perched upon mount GurungAgung, the highest peak in Bali and seen by the Balinese as their mount Meru, the home of theGods. The precise origin of this temple is unknown but the complex itself dates back toprehistoric times, the bases of some of the temples resembling megalithic stepped pyramids.

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The centrepiece of this temple is the padmasana, the lotus throne which houses the threeprinciple deities of Lord Brahma the creator, Lord Visnu the maintainer and Lord Siva thedestroyer. These are the Trimurti of the Vedas which attract tens of thousands during festivals.

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For the Balinese water is the foundation of prosperity, water is a tirtha as it cleanses and watercontains curative properties. The picture above is the Tirta Empul, the temple of the holy springbuilt over a thousand years ago on a large natural spring as an offering to Lord Visnu, by themembers of the Vamandeva dynasty. In Bali the subak irrigation system is based upon the harmonious relationship between humans,nature and God. It is said that Siva took the peak off mount Meru in India and divided it into twoparts. Presenting the pieces to Bali, the piece in his right hand became mount Agung, thethrone for his son, and the piece in his left hand became mount Batur the throne for Devi Danuthe Goddess of lakes, water, fertility and prosperity. The Balinese farmers know they have to follow the natural laws of Devi Danu if they desire abountiful harvest. Pura Danu on lake Batur is the central temple of the ancient Subak irrigationsystem, from which emerges thousands of irrigation temples and shrines which spreadthroughout Bali. This is the same system that was used in Cambodia by the Khmer dynastywhich built Angkor Wat, a whole ecological system comprising the forests which protect thewater supply, terraced paddy landscapes, rice fields connected by a system of canals, tunnelsand weirs, villages and temples of varying sizes which are either the source of the water or passthrough the temple on its way to irrigating the Subak land.

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Around the eighth century AD the great Markendaya Rishi upon his travels came across aconfluence of two rivers. Meditating upon its beauty and peaceful serenity he established thePura Gunung Lebah temple in the city of Ubud. For over a thousand years Ubud and thesurrounding areas have held centre stage in the history of Bali. The Sarasvati temple picturedabove is one of many attractions which make this ancient town unique.

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Close to the Gurung Lebah temple is the Gurung Kawi, the ancient Candi temple complex,pictured above. Candi refers to the abode of Candika the Goddess of death and consort of LordSiva. There are 10 of these Candis which are carved into the rock and which are thought to beroyal tombs. They were built over a thousand years ago for King Udayana Varmadeva, his wifeGunapriyadharmapatni, their son Anak Wungsu and the other tombs are thought to be theKings other wives. To view a beautiful 3 minute presentation of this amazing serene and tranquilplace click on the following link https://youtu.be/UwcNRp3lA78

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https://youtu.be/UwcNRp3lA78



Throughout Indonesia the Ramayana is all pervasive its story lovingly expressed through artand dance. Hanuman, the great devotee of Rama, is much loved and throughout Bali monkeysare considered sacred. The Ubud monkey forest is a popular tourist attraction visited by over10,000 a month, its official name is Mandala Suci Venara Vana - Sacred forest sanctuary. Theadministrators describe their mission as conservation according to the Vedic principles of TriHata Kawan - The three principles to spiritual and physical well being, which once againfocuses upon the harmonious relationship between humans, nature and God. The sanctuarycovers some 27 acres and houses three Hindu temples, the Pura Dalem Agung known as thegreat temple of death which worships Lord Siva, the Pura Beji which worships Gangadevi andthe Pura Prajapati temple which worships Prajapati.

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Throughout Bali Vedic and Sanskrit names are commonplace. Negara is the capital of theJembrana province, Nagara Sanskrit for city. Singaraj is the capital of the Buleleng province,Singaraj Sanskrit for lionking. Amlapura, Semarapura and Mangupura are all capitals ofdifferent regions and are all Sanskrit names. The villages of Kintanami, Candi Dasa, Kamasan,Kusamba, Kuta, Nusa Dua, Pancasari, Sukawati, Penelokan, Rambut Siwi, Serangan, Tirtagangga, Puri Lukisan, Pulaki, Penglipuran, Wanagiri, Tedjakula, Kuta utara, are all Bali placenames which have their Sanskrit connection. Although we are informed by academia that Bali was populated some 4000 years ago by whatthey have decided to call the Austronesians, there existed at that time nine Hindu groups - Pashupata - Bhairava - Siva Siddhanta - Vaisnava - Bodha - Brahma - Rishi - Sura - Ganapatya. Each group had their own deity they revered as their own personal Godhead.These were the predominant influences throughout Bali some 2 - 4000 years ago. The nameBalidvipa ( the island of Bali ) goes back, as far as recorded history is concerned to over 1000years ago, its name found upon many inscriptions. The origin is the great warrior King anddevotee of Lord Visnu, Bali Marharaj. In fact one of the great hiistorical dynasties of Bali is theVamanadeva dynasty, which as we know reflects the Vamanadeva whom Bali Marharajsurrendered to. The Ramayana composed a million years ago mentions these islands in thefollowing verses : “You strive hard in the island of Yava ( Yavadvipa ) which will be splendorous with sevenkingdoms, like that even in Golden and Silver islands that are enwreathed with gold-mines, inand around Yava islands. On crossing over Yava Island, there is a mountain named Shishira,which touches heaven with its peak, and which gods and demons adore. You shall collectivelyrake through all the impassable mountains, waterfalls, and forests in these islands for theglorious wife of Rama.” Ramayana 4.40.30 - 32 In Sanskrit Yava means barley corn and Dvipameans island, the name is a reference to the island being shaped like a barley corn. In theSurya Siddhanta it is referred to as Nagara Yavakoti with golden walls and gates. "In the veins of every one of my people flows the blood of Indian ancestors and the culture thatwe possess is steeped through and through with Indian influences. Two thousand years agopeople from your country came to Jawadvipa and Suvarnadvipa in the spirit of brotherly love.They gave the initiative to found powerful kingdoms such as those of Sri Vijaya, Mataram andMajapahit. We then learnt to worship the very Gods that you now worship still and we fashioneda culture that even today is largely identical with your own". Suharto Sukarno (1901- 1970)Indonesian nationalist leader and the first President of Indonesia. “When we refer to thousand year old ties which unite us with India, it is not at all a hyperbole. Infact, it was about 2000 years ago that the first navigators, Indian merchants and Brahminsbrought to our ancestors their gods, their techniques, their organization. Briefly India was for uswhat Greece was to Latin Orient.” Norodom Sihanouk, Head of the State of the RoyalGovernment of Cambodia (1954-1970 and, again, since 1993) "Indian art had accompanied Indian religion across straits and frontiers into Sri Lanka, Java,Cambodia, Siam, Burma, Tibet, Khotan, Turkestan, Mongolia, China, Korea and Japan. in Asiaall roads lead from India.” : Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage - By Americanhistorian William Durant.

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"There is an obstinate prejudice thanks to which India is constantly represented as having lived,as it were, hermetically sealed up in its age-old civilization, apart from the rest of Asia. Nothingcould be more exaggerated. During the first eight centuries of our era, so far as religion and artare concerned, central Asia was a sort of Indian colony. It is often forgotten that in the earlyMiddle Ages there existed a "Greater India," a vast Indian empire. A man coming from theGanges or the Deccan to Southeast Asia felt as much at home there as in his own native land.In those days the Indian Ocean really deserved its name.” The Civilizations of the East - ByRene Grousset Vol. II “The beginnings of Indian colonization overseas eastward go back a very long way in time and itis almost certain that the results seen today were, in the main, not achieved by militaryexpeditions, but by peaceful trading and religious teaching – and thereby all the morepermanent.” Reginald Le May author of The culture of South-East Asia;: The heritage ofIndia. "The culture of India has been one of the world's most powerful civilizing forces. Countries ofthe Far East, including China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Mongolia owe much of what is best intheir own cultures to the inspiration of ideas imported from India. The West, too, has its owndebts." "But the members of that circle of civilizations beyond Burma scattered around the Gulfof Siam and the Java Sea, virtually owe their very existence to the creative influence of Indianideas... No conquest or invasion, no forced conversion imposed them. They were adoptedbecause people saw that they were good and that they could use them.” Philip S. Rawson writes in his book The Art of South East Asia.

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bali is a beautiful island in indonesia known as the island of the … · 2020. 6. 21. · hare...

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