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BALI ISLAND
The strong cultural identity of Bali is based on a combination of closely related elements
that include its unique religion, its language, its castes, its community life, and its art.
Bali Information - people:
Although the official language is Indonesian, Balinese remains the everyday language of the people of the island.
The ancient caste system -- still alive but no longer of any official or formal significance --
divides the Balinese into four distinct castes: Priests ('Brahmana'), Rulers ('Ksatria'),
Warriors ('Wesia') and commoners ('Sudra'). Unlike India, Balinese Hinduism has no 'untouchable' caste.
Ninety percent of Balinese are commoners.
Numerous ceremonies mark the progression of life in Bali, starting, of course, with birth.
Children are treated with respect
and gentleness; corporal punishment is rare. In adulthood, marriage becomes compulsory and represents
the individual's official entry into the community as an adult. Subsequently, participation in the meetings of
the Banjar (village association that manages village affairs) becomes obligatory.
The management of the all-important water supply falls under another essential community organization called
the Subak, to which each village landowner belongs. Bali's irrigation system, unique in the world, is managed by
these associations, which ensure the fair distribution of water and carry out the traditional ceremonial rites to
the gods of agriculture.
No discussion of Bali is complete without mentioning Bali's native inhabitants, the so-called 'Bali Aga'.
They are the descendants of the first known inhabitants of Bali, and their customs are of prehistoric origin --
long before the arrival of Hinduism. Now their culture represents a unique combination of their animistic
origins and Balinese Hinduism. There are only a few villages of Bali Aga left; the two best known are:
Tenganan in Karangasem and Trunyan in Kintamani, Bangli.
Located 8 degrees south of the equator in the midst of the 8,000 islands of the Indonesian archipelago,
Bali measures approximately 140 km by 80 km and has an area of 5,620 square kilometers.
Immediately east of Java, Bali is the first of the Sunda Islands. Its mountain range consists mostly of
dormant and active volcanoes, with the highest, the active volcano Mount Gunung Agung, reaching
3,142 meters. Stretched to the south and north of these volcanoes,
Bali's fertile agricultural lands produce abundant crops of rice and flowers.
HOLIDAY in BALI Call TLC 0845 225 049 2
