Explore Bali

Bali Culture

Balinese culture is a mix of Balinese Hindu-Buddhist religion and Balinese customs. It is perhaps most known for its dance, drama and sculpture. Balinese cuisine is also distinctive. 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.

Balinese artists are also skilled in duplicating art works such as carvings that resemble Chinese deities or decorating vehicles based on what is seen in foreign magazines. The culture is noted for its use of the gamelan in music and in various traditional events of Balinese society. Each type of music is designated for a specific type of event. For example, music for a piodalan (birthday celebration) is different from music used for a metatah (teeth grinding) ceremony, just as it is for weddings, Ngaben (cremation of the dead ceremony), Melasti (purification ritual) and so forth.

Bali Life Style

Bali’s population of over 3,000,000 souls spread over the whole island, including those in the smaller islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan, Serangan and Menjangan Island. The overwhelming majority of Balinese are Hindus, with the increasing number on non-Hindu migrating from the closest neighboring islands of Java and Lombok. The coastal areas in the south are the most populous area with over 370,000 people living in various professions in the capital of Denpasar.

Architectural Elements of Balinese Temple

When visiting a temple, you’ll encounter all sorts of elaborate gates, shrines or other interesting looking structures. But you probably won’t always understand what you’re looking at. Some temples will have special shrines dedicated to certain deities outside the Trimurti, for example. Furthermore, you’ll likely notice a number of covered pavilions within the temple compound. These might be for gamelan performances or village meetings, but it’s often unclear to the casual visitor. One thing all Balinese temples have in common, though, is that they’re all open to the sky.