Bali the dream land of ancient culture: Tourism Paradise
Dr VK Bahuguna
Bali a
Province of Indonesia is known for its beautiful landscape, enchanting sea
beachesand art and sculptures has over the years became a most favourable
tourism destination where the tourist throng from all over the world. For
Indian tourist it has special attraction due to similarity of culture and
religion as more than 83 % of the Balinese population profess Hinduism. A large
number of Indians visit it every year to reflect on ancient Indian heritage. It
is a wonderful place to witness effortless convergence of religion, culture,
art and life style. It is a small island in the Far East area of Indonesia with
an area of only 5780 Sq Km and with a population of little over 4 million and hence
is a densely populated place. The capital city of the Province is Denpasar with
a population of over 4 lakh. Kuta and Ubud are other cities which are centre of
its cultural grandeur and where most of the tourist destinations are located
and the tourists stay. This writer had visited Bali during October 2019 to
study its cultural ethos. The climate is tropical and average temperature is
around 30 degree Celsius. It had rich bio-diversity in the forests but the famous
Bali Tiger have become extinct long back. Like in India the heavy flow of
tourists of more than 5 million every year causes pollution and it had forced
the local administration there to declare 'Garbage Emergency' during 2017. The
literacy rate is high and only less than 3 % people are below poverty line. The
tourism had the greatest contribution in its GDP and major contributors are Australia,
India, France, China, Germany and the UK.
According to a DNA study in
2005 as reported in Wikipedia around 12% of Balinese are likely of Indian
origin, while 84% are of likely Austronesian origin, and 2% of
likely Melanesian origin. The Balinese
Hinduism is today free from the caste system though previously they had some
caste system which has gradually vanished and now a cohesive casteless society
is the hall mark of the Bali Hindu religion. It is a mixture of ancient
traditions and modern outlook fashioned by the Indonesian constitution which
allows only monotheistic religion to be practiced. Bali Hindus adopted this and
name their religionas 'Agama Hindu Dharma' and only worship one God, called
Sang Hyang Widi or Sang Hyang Widhi and have also adopted the previously
existing animistic traditions. The Hinduism
here has no dogmas and is rather followed as a quest fort spirituality as per
ancientVedic traditions and was brought here by Indian traders and kings in the
first century AD. They also brought with it spiritual ideas, history and
legends - which can be seen in the unique festivals and events associated with
the spirits of ancestors and their gods. Balinese calls their sacred temples 'Pura',
which is a holy place with enclosed walls. There are over 20,000 of temples
across the island; each is associated with a certain characteristic such as
virtue of descent or geographical area.The Gayatri Mantra is recited by every Balinese school
child three times a day. They believe in Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
as manifestation of one God and also encompass in it Mahayana Buddhism. 'Nyepi Day' is known as Day of silence falls in the month of March and is
the beginning of Bali Saka and on this day all routine activities come to a
complete halt and all people join in celebrating the quietest day.
For the tourists Bali offers a diverse platform of
paintings, wood carving, handicrafts, sculptures, water adventures, volcanoes
and performing arts. The Bali temples are unique in design and every house hold
has a temple. Both Men and Women are allowed inside the temples only in
traditional Bali dress. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are very famous. In fact
what Indian had witnessed in Ramayana and Mahabharata serials that kind of
social fabric can be witnessed in Bali today. The Ramayana story is performed
through a dance known as 'Kecak' dance. It can be witnessed in Tanah Lot temple
and at Uluwatu. The sunset at Tanah Lot and Uluwatu is a treat to watch where
the Sun dissolves in sky. The biggest attraction in Bali is the Garuda Cultural
Park where the majestic Garuda Vishnu statue is located. It is the Iconic
landmark of Bali. The Amphitheatre here providers colourful Balinese dances
like Garuda Vishnu Ballet, Baron Keri Dance etc. The other attraction is the
food plaza, arts and souvenir shop. For the tourists the Bali's shallow sea
provides excellent platform for sea sports like Sea Walking, Banana Boat and
Parasailing, Glass Bottom Boat, Snorking, Cruise etc
There is however, some useful advice for the
tourists to book their trip after proper inquiry about the itinerary as the
costs may go up if not done before hand as tour organizers takes to only
commercial business places and do not focus on iconic landmarks . There is lot
of bargaining in water sport activities and tourists get fleeced. Also the
safety while riding boats in sea is also very poor if not settled before hand.
Indian visitors must learn a few things after visiting Bali from their
religious compatriots. First is how to preserve own culture and traditions; second,
how to end the pernicious caste system toensure social cohesiveness; third a
sense of discipline in the society and orderly behaviour on roads and; fourth
how to strike a balance between modern world and the old world's own charm.