Sacred volcanoes to the legendary elephant fish

Once a great Javanese priest was forced to banish his dissolute son to Bell which was then joined to Java by a very narrow isthmus. The despondent priest brought his son there and bade him to go. When the young man was lost to sight, the priest drew a line with his finger across the sands. The waters met and Bali became an island.

The legend point to a truth, for Bali was, indeed, once connected to Java. The strait, less than 3 kilometers wide between East Java and the western tip of Bali , reaches a depth of only 60 meters. To the east of the island, through the Lombok Strait , surge some of the deepest waters in the archipelago! Flanked by the Java Sea to the north and the Indonesian Ocean to the south, Bali is one of the smallest islands in Indonesia, with an area of 5,620 square kilometers, Just 8° south of the equator, it has the even and warm climate of the tropics. The only noticeable change in weather is between the rain season October through March, and the dry, balmy season during the remainder of the year.

A volcanic range dominates the landscape. According to Balinese mythology, the island was originally unstable. To stop it wobbling the gods set down upon it the mountain Mahameru, the holy mountain of Hinduism . The Balinese called it Gunung Agung ("The Great Mountain"), which was 3,140 meters high before the 1963 eruption the other major mountains are: Batukau ("Stone Coconut shell") at 2,278 meters; and in the center Batur at 1,717 meters and Abang at 2,152 meters. In the far south is the raised tableland of the Bukit Peninsula at only 220 meters.

Bali 's volcanic chain, stretching from east to west, divides the island in half. The northern region of Buleleng a narrow coastal strip which quickly merges into foothills produces Bali 's main exports: cattle ' coffee, and copra. The northern fields clothe the highlands in patch-work quilts of peanut, cabbage, and onion. Lofty prehistoric tree-ferns, elephant grass, and wild flowers hang from the steep cliffs which hug the roadside, while tall pines and cypress trees soar high above the lower embankments. The fecundity of the north extends down the mountain slopes to the plains of central Bali , a densely populated area producing two crops a year of excellent rice.

Despite the pressure of the island's population of about 2,200,000, lack of running water has kept the west in uninhabited desolation Crocodiles, jungle cocks, deer, and wild hogs prowl the low dusty brush of this hilly country the Balinese call Pulaki the legendary home of the Invisible Ones who reside in a city condemned by the angered deities to sink into the earth. Another arid region is the limestone peninsula of Bukit ("Hill"), which rises in sheer cliffs from the deep pellucid waters off the south coast. The road through Bukit's dry fields ends at a long rock 75 m above the sea. Suspended on the precipice is Uluwatu, one of the island's holiest temples whose rock foundation is believed to be the ship, turned to stone, of Dewi Danu, goddess of the waters.

Southeast of Bali lies the barren island of Nusa Penida , said to be the dwelling place of Gede Mecaling, the fanged giant who haunts the lonely beaches of South Bali . Nusa was once a penal colony used by the kings of Bali . Now the island is a county under the jurisdiction of the eastern distric of Klungkung. The people of Nusa grow corn and coconut: but because the dry mountainous terrain does not permit an extensive irrigation system, many of the villages are impoverished. (Nusa is famous among the Balinese for raising a certain breed of chicken particularly effective as an offering to drive off evil spirits. It is also renowned for its birds. In fact, one of the rarest birds in the world, called Rothchild's Mynah, is found in no other place but Nusa.)

The smaller island of Serangan across from Benoa Harbor is aptly nicknamed "The Turtle Island". Large sea turtles are caught and kept there in roofed palisades built in the shallow water until they are sold as a special dish for feasts. Serangan contains the old sea temple of 'Sakenan. Every 210 days thousands of Balinese cross the sand banks to pay homage.

Like the majority of Indonesians, the Balinese are a mixture of races, primarily; they are descendants of the Malayo- Polynesians, ancient denizens of the archipelago. They also stem from central and eastern Javanese ancestors: Indonesians of a Hindu culture, perhaps with traces of Indian and Chinese blood. To this ethnic blend, Polynesian and Melanesian traces were added, resulting in a picturesque variety among the Balinese. While some people, have sleek hair, high nose bridges and cream yellow skin, others are dark and curly haired, like South Sea islanders.

Of the 7,000 foreigners living in Bali , the majority are Chinese, followed by Indian and Arabian citizens. Many other resident Chinese have become Indonesian citizens. Over95percent of the population practice the Bali-Hindu religion; the remainders are mostly Muslims, with some Buddhists and Christians.

When the Hindu Javanese established themselves in Bali many centuries ago, they introduced to the Balinese community two paramount social institutions: the Hindu caste system and the accompanying "language of courtesies". The caste system in Bali is relaxed and simple compared with that of India . Basically, there are four castes. The common villagers constitute the working class, the Sudras. The nobility is divided into three well-known groups: the Brahmanas, the highest caste with the male title of Ida Bagus (only a Brahmana may become a high priest); the Satrias, to which many of the former Balinese royalty belonged, with the male titles of Anak Agung, Dewa, and Cokorda; and the Wesias, the warrior class entitled I Gusti, who also became rulers of smaller principalities.

Although caste rules are largely restricted to the observance of established formulas of etiquette the full name of every Balinese includes the caste title, and informal Balinese language one must be addressed accordingly. When two strangers meet, a man of low caste speaks to one of higher caste in high Balinese. The latter answers in low Balinese, the everyday tongue spoken in the villages. Undoubtedly, low Balinese is the oldest language of the island and belongs to ancient Malayo- Polynesian dialects, the aboriginal languages of the archipelago. High Balinese, largely Javanese in origin and using Sanskrit words (as does low Balinese), is a sub-language of about 600 words, especially connected with the person and bodily actions. There is also middle Balinese, the few words of which are used when caste is not stressed but politeness is still desired. In many pans of Bali today, high language is infrequently used in everyday intercourse.

Old Javanese (Kawi), the ancient language of poetry and classical literature, is still brought to life in certain forms of traditional drama and ritual. Sanskrit is the language of the high priest's Mantras and hymns.

Multilingualism grows with the increasing importance of Bahasa Indonesia, the nation's Official language, Simplified and free of caste rules, Bahasa Indonesia is widely spoken by the educated and in communities with mixed nationalities. And many young Balinese are adept linguists, who through the privilege of higher education have mastered at least three languages, including English.

The island is one of twenty-six provinces constituting the Indonesian Republic . The provincial government, with its headquarters in Denpasar, is headed by the Governor who works directly under the Minister of Home Affairs in Jakarta . Bali is divided into eight districts called kabupaten, each headed by a government official, entitled the bupati. The Most heavily Populated districts are Badung in South Bali , containing the city of Denpasar, and Buleleng, on the north coast and the largest in area. Jembrana and Tabanan are west of Badung. Gianyar, Bangli, Klungkung, and Karangasem partition East Bali . Each of these districts is separated into smaller counties headed by a camat, the executive officer of the bupati. Under the camat are the village headmen, perbekels, who govern a village area consisting of several smaller communities. The smallest unit in the political system is the banjar, individual community.with two to three hundred male householders. The village of Sanur , for example, has twenty two banjars.

Of Bali 's four harbors, Benoa, located near the airport, is the main port for import-export. Singaraja, in the north, is the oldest harbor and once served Dutch navigation companies. Padangbai, to the east, handles traffic between Bali and Lombok ; Gilimanuk, on the western most point of the island, receives cargo from East Java .

The Balinese are one of the few island peoples in the world who turn their eyes not outward to the waters, but upward to mountain peaks. The mountains with their lakes and rivers are holy, the source of the land's fertility. Water from the seashore, as from mountain streams and lakes, is used for purification; but the massive ocean extending far below the earth's surface, kingdom of giant fish and poisonous sea snakes, is considered dangerous and remains unfamiliar to most villagers. Only during low tide do small boys venture from the shore to catch tropical fish trapped in shallow tide pools. In the early hours shore-dwellers scan the beaches for coral used to make building lime. It is beautiful to see them wading about the reef, the sea breeze bearing their soulful chanting to the faraway shore. They retreat before the incoming tide because few of these people know how to swim and, although the sea teems with life, fishing is kept on a small scale. At sunset, bands of fishermen skim the still waters in quest of fish and turtle the latter a banquet delicacy in the Denpasar area. The outrigger prahus with triangular sails and forepeaks carved in the form of the mythical elephant-fish are swift and elegant craft, much favored by visitors exploring near the shore.

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