Tourist's Paradise Bali
At present, 90 percent of the total population of the island of Bali is Hindu. The remaining 10 percent of the population are Buddhists, Muslims and Christians. It is a world famous tourist place whose art, music, dance and temples are enchanting. The capital here is Denpasar Nagar. A city called Ubud located in central Bali is also a center of tourist attraction. It is the main place of art and culture in the island of Bali. “Kuta” is a major city located in South Bali. Jimbaran is a fishermen's village and a famous tourist destination in Bali. Sinhraj Nagar is situated on the northern coast of the island. Mount Agung and Mount Volcano Batur are the two high peaks.
People with smiling faces
The people of Bali are simple, cheerful and hardworking but poor, tearful and needy. Both men and women take care of their families by working hard throughout the day. Men are engaged in relatively more laborious work, i.e. driving, agriculture and construction work, whereas women often run some kind of small shop. Or are seen selling coconuts, bananas and different types of flowers along the roadside.
I love India and Indians
In many ways the island of Bali appears to be a version of India, but in many ways it is completely different from India. The local people of Bali are happy to see Indians and do not forget to mention in the very first meeting that we are also Hindus. They also tell who are vegetarians in our family and who have come to India to take bath in the Ganges. It is no less than a pleasant surprise to see and know that he has immense respect and affection for Indian Hindus. As soon as you reach their shop, or meet them on the way, most Balinese people say “Swastim astu” with folded hands and greet you with a smile. Their eyes tell that they know that India is a very rich and civilized country and that the people of Bali have their roots in India.
Neat Island
Bali is a clean island, the streets are not dirty, crowded and noisy. The roads are relatively narrow but strong. Wherever there are no broken or crumbling roads, it is inferred that there is either no corruption here and if it is there then it is very less. The contractors and engineers have used the entire material in road construction. There are tracks for pedestrians on both sides of the road, sign boards are also well installed. The sign boards along the roads and the nameplates outside the shops are written in the local language of Bali "Bahasa Indonesian", which is derived from the Malay language. It is surprising to see that all these plates are written in Roman script, which looks like English language but is not read by foreign tourists. It is just as Marathi people have adopted "Devanagari" script for Marathi language.
Large department stores are rare in Bali island towns. Most of the shops are very small and there is not much available for sale. Bread (double roti), cold drinks, eggs, canned chicken, canned fish, pooja flowers, coconut, incense sticks, small plastic items etc., are sold more for daily use. Bottles filled with one liter each of kerosene, diesel and petrol are kept outside the shops, as petrol pumps are available only in the periphery of the main city, they are also few.
Hindus of Bali without Cow, Ganga and Wheat
Cow, the mainstay of Indian economy, Ganga the mainstay of Indian religion and wheat, the mainstay of Indian food plate, are not seen in the island of Bali. Here milch animals are not reared. Here milk and tea are not consumed in the houses. Coffee without milk is made in middle and upper class families when a special guest arrives. The whole life of the people here passes, but they are neither able to see cows, buffaloes, goats etc., nor can they taste the milk of animals. In infancy, the baby drinks mother's milk for about a year, after that it starts eating chicken, and then pork and fish etc. Even camels and horses are not in Bali. Surprisingly, animals are not seen roaming on the roads here. Going to the villages, only a few dogs are seen in the streets.
In the absence of cow-buffalo, milk-curd-butter-butter-ghee is generally not used in homes. Canned yogurt is available in large departmental stores, it is used only by tourists. It is very expensive, usually 50 grams of yogurt has to be paid 60 rupees in Indian currency. Its taste is quite different from curd and it is unusable for common Indian due to its sticky like gum.
Rice, maize and sugarcane often appear in the fields named after the crops. Rice is abundant but Basmati rice or aromatic rice is imported from India. Cereals like wheat, barley, gram, millet etc. and pulses like moong, moth, urad, chawla etc. are not grown here. Vegetables like okra, potato and onion are also imported from New Zealand, Netherlands, Australia, India and other countries. Imported vegetables are not available at common shops. These vegetables are sold sealed in plastic wrappers at very high rates in big departmental stores and are available to foreign tourists in big hotels.
Have faith in Indian deities
The people of Bali have reverence for Ramayana, Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Ramdoot Hanuman. It is a matter of pride to discuss the four Vedas, the Gita, the Mahabharata, and the sons of Pandu, Bhima and the heroic Arjuna. Huge and beautiful statues of Lord Rama, Indra, Saraswati, Krishna, Shiva, Arjuna and Bhima are placed at the squares which are a matter of tourist attraction and curiosity as only such large statues of Hanumanji or Shiva are seen in India. The idols of Hanumanji are of formidable form. These goddesses call Sita as Sinta and have great reverence for her. Very beautiful and huge statues of Goddess Sinta are seen at the squares. Very beautiful statues of Saraswati captivate the audience. This is a unique tradition of idol making, it has more element of melodiousness and charm.
Sculptures of Mohandas Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and many local leaders etc. are found on the squares of India, but Indian tourists are surprised to see the idols of Lord Shri Ram, Goddess Sita, Lord Shri Krishna and Ram devotee Hanuman in Bali Island. Idols of Lord Shiva, Parvati and Ganesh are also seen in squares, gardens and hotels etc. Ganesh idols are installed at the entrance of most of the temples. They are relatively small in size and are similar to those found in India. Some idols of gatekeepers look like demons. Usually these idols are placed outside the gates of temples and cities.
Stambha temples are built inside and outside each house. There is a small niche on the pillar about four to five feet high, which is called Kala (small temple situated on the pillar). The black made inside the house is called Pungunkaran i.e. the god of the earth. There are also temples of Goddess Durga in the black inside the house. The deity place outside the house is called Indrablocka, it protects the street and the locality. Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh are called Kuninganna (Tridev). Yellow Day is celebrated once a year. On that day men and women wear yellow clothes. It is a form of Basant Panchami in India. Galugangan festival is a public holiday. Cooked rice is called Nasi and raw rice is called Sayur, which is a staple food of Bali.