Bali: Sekala & Niskala: Essays on Religion, Ritual, and Art"The best book on Bali for the serious visitor…Has the freshness of personal experience."--Dr. Hildred Geertz, author of Kinship in Bali and Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University In Bali, what you see--sekala--is a colorful world of ceremony, ritual, dance, and drama. What you don't see what is occult--niskala--is the doctrine underlying the pageants, the code underlying the rites, and the magic underlying the dance. In this book, author Fred Eiseman explores both tangibles and intangibles in the realm of Balinese religion, ritual, and performing arts. The essays collected here topics ranging from Hindu mythology to modern gamelan music. Eiseman's approach is that of a dedicated reporter in love with his subject--he has the knowledge and patience to explain the near-infinite permutations of the Balinese calendar, and yet he is still moved by the majesty of the great Eka Dasa Rudra ceremony. The author's 28 years experience on the island shows and this book rewards close reading--even by the most seasoned students of Balinese culture. |
Contents
Caste and Clan 25 | |
Balis Other Faiths 38 | |
Holy Water 51 | |
The Sea of Milk 63 | |
Masters of Steel 76 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Agung babuten baby Bali balian Balinese bamboo banjar barong Besakih bhutas bhutas and kalas Bima Bintang body Brahma Brahmana Buddhist Budi Bujangga calendar called canang caru caste ceremony Chapter cloth coconut color cremation dalang dance dancers decorated demons Denpasar Dewa Dewa Ayu dharma Eka Dasa Rudra evil family temple Galungan gamelan gangsas gede gods gong Hindu Hinduism holy water house compound important Indonesia instruments Java Jimbaran Kajeng Keliwon kanda empat Kawi kebyar kris Ksatriya Laku leyak lontar magic Mahabharata mantras masks Mengwi odalan offerings Omang Pandawas Pande Pawukon Pawukon cycle pedanda pelelintangan pemangku performance person pratimas pray prayers priest puppet Pura Dalem Pura Luhur Pura Pererepan Pura Ulun Siwi Rangda Rarung religion religious rice rites Rudra sacred Saka Sandars Sanghyang sekan barong shrine Siwa sometimes spirit story Sudra symbol taksu Tirtha tourist traditional Tumpek Uluwatu usually village wayang kulit week Wesnawe Wisnu worshiper