A Tropical Paradise:

It has been variously described as "Island of Gods” or simply "A tropical Paradise" by many tourists from all over the World. The Big Indonesian Islands in the Pacific. In India also there have been some references to this Island because of its Indian or more specifically Hindu connection. An island with more than 94% Hindus, is part of a predominantly Islamic country.

When we landed at the Denpasar international airport in Bali it was evening. A statue of Garuda welcomed us to Bali. Surprises seem to galore when we saw a massive carving of Bhima fighting the demons in the middle of the city square. Further up there was another equally huge rendition of Mahabharat with Arjuna and Krishna on their chariot. I have to scratch my head to find out whether I have seen anything beauty of such massive carvings anywhere in India.

Bali is the sheer beauty of nature with which Bali is endowed. Being a tropical island, the greenery is everywhere. There is abundance of rice, tropical fruits including mango, jackfruit and other varieties of fruits in the island. Coconut palms are everywhere and the large size coconuts in the mountainous regions of north Bali; terraces have been cut along the mountainside to make paddy fields. It is ingenious engineering since no machines are used. In fact these "rice terraces" by themselves are a work of art. Bali reminds me the peddy fields of Himachal pradesh.

The active volcano in the island, which is dormant for now, is called Kintamani and is a tourist site. Dry mountain surrounded by greenery and Black dry river of lava is running through is a rare view. The area below the volcano is filled with water and forms a lake called lake Bartan on which the famous water temple Ulun Dan is located.

The number of temples is a big surprise for Small Island. It is estimated that there are over 1200 Hindu temples in Bali. In addition there are small temples inside each home without exception. It is predominantly Hindu island and Hinduism is all pervading in the life of the ordinary Balinese. They go to extraordinary lengths to put elaborate carvings and statues and structures in these temples. Each village temple is a work of art with elaborate carvings and typical structures usually made out of black lava stone. Jet-black lava stone is predominant among the temple carvings everywhere. In the mornings, each house and shop, they put out a small basket made of palm leaves containing little offerings of flower, fruits, rice and worship it with incense sticks. In the evening these baskets are removed and next morning a fresh one put. The entrance to each Balinese temple has three doors. The central door is supposed to be for Gods and hence rarely opened, the side doors for people to enter and the other for exiting the temple. As usual in Hindu temple, all the temple doors had two Dwara Palaks guarding it on both sides. More surprisingly you can wear footwear and walk inside the temples right up to the sanctum. While entering temples be dressed modestly preferably by tying a sarong around your waist (both for men and women) is mandatory to enter the temple, which covers your legs as well. There are many famous temples like batur, tanah lot, baisaki,uluwatu …etc are worth visiting.

The names of people are all Hindu like Deva, Siva, Wisnu, ...and sometimes one wonders which country one is in since most of the roads are named after Yudishtir, Bhima, Arjuna and shops and malls all have names from Ramayana and Mahabharata. The traditional Balinese dress is Sarong (a sort of lungi made of Cotton or silk) wrapped around the waist common for men and women whereas women wear blouses and men cotton jackets or shirts on the upper body.There are many typical Balinese dance forms which are not to be missed most centered around Ramayana and Mahabharata. The language is called Bhahsa in Indonesia.

Bali is renowned for its diverse and sophisticated art forms, such as batik and ikat , stone carvings, painted art and silverware, sculpture, woodcarving, and performing arts. Balinese percussion orchestra music, known as gamelan, is highly developed and varied. Balinese performing arts often portray stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana but with heavy Balinese influence. Notably, individual villages typically adopt a single product, such as wind chimes or wooden furniture.

Strangely we found very small number of Indian tourists in Bali, except few who came on package tour.... probably due to the distance from India and lack of publicity about this Hindu paradise. The monsoons are heavy and long lasting about 5 months and that explains the tiled roofs and the three rice crops. Most of the people who are otherwise engaged in tourism industry shift to agriculture during the lean time so that they continue to earn their daily bread reminds us the tourism industries in mahabaleshwar. Bali must be one of the most tourist friendly places on earth. Everybody is treated the same way...with a pleasant smile and a namaste.. The shopkeepers urge you to come inside and have a look and will not frown if you don't buy a thing. The smile will always remain. which is genuine. Being from India they paid a bit more attention to us and talked about our countries. Indian films are also very popular amongst Balinese. Many Balinese wishes to travel to India for "Teertha yatra" covering Benaras, Hardwar etc.

There were loads and loads of tourists from Australia lugging huge bags containing their surf boards, who come there for the sun, sand and what else, Beer...being just 2 hours flight from northern Australia. Bali has beautiful beaches and coral reefs. Clear blue water and lots of Aqua sports facilities like surfing, paragliding…. are available for sports lovers. Colorful coral are also tourist attraction. People go for scuba diving and snorkeling to view coral beauty.

Overall the Bali trip left a lasting impression on us for the sheer natural beauty, the beaches, the temples and most of all the people themselves. It is one of a lifetime experience not to be missed.

Dr Dipti Desai