god

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Eating, Praying and Living in Bali (Part 1) PRAY The word ‘Bali’ typically evokes images of the beach, of pristine blue and turquoise water along stunning tropical beaches, swaying coconut trees in the tropical sunshine. But there’s more to Bali than the beach. Unlike many other beach destinations, I think the best bits of Bali are actually inland, away from the beach and the crowds. Spend a little time probing and exploring and Bali offers you a glimpse of her treasures, countless shrines and ancient temples, bucolic rice paddies and terraces on the hills, a laid back rustic pace of life and seemingly unending culinary treats. Whilst other tropical islands typically garner adjectives like ‘tropical paradise’, ‘sun-drenched’, ‘relaxing’, ‘luxury’, ‘laid back’, Bali has all that and adds ‘mysterious’, ‘spiritual’ and ‘magical’ to its list of superlatives. The ‘Land of a Thousand Temples’ is not completely accurate, there are actually tens of thousands of temples in Bali, more than houses in fact, a legacy of kingdoms past and human occupation since the Stone Age. Stepping into any of the temples is a journey back in time, moss covered stones and walls hint at the age of these structures, at once enigmatic and peaceful. One does not have to be a believer in the Balinese Hindu religion to appreciate the immense sense of calm these ancient structures offer. Where Angkor Wat in Cambodia impresses by its sheer scale, the temples or Puras in Bali does quite the opposite, they are often small, and tucked into every single corner of the volcanic island. Some of them almost feel like family shrines, intimate and cosy. Statues of hindu gods and goddesses adorn the walls, carved out of black volcanic rock. View of Ubud river from Uma Ubud Ubud Palace One of the more spectacular temples in Bali is the Pura Tirta Empul or Temple of the Holy Water. Its sacred spring, said the have curative properties, has drawn devotees for over a thousand years. Legend has it that the sacred spring was created by the God Indra. His forces poisoned by Mayadanawa, a cruel king and dark sorcerer, Indra stabbed the ground with his flag pole, creating an eternal wellspring, the spring water curing his men of their illnesses. Current day devotees still continue this tradition of bathing in the sacred spring, to wash away bad spirits and physical ailments. In a large rectangular stone pool, fed by 12 fountains from the water of the spring, worshippers first make an offering at the temple, then climb into the pool to bathe and pray. Whether actual healing takes place or it is merely a placebo effect, everyone certainly leaves with a slight spring (pun unintended) in their step, their troubles abluted. Devotees in the water at Pura Tirta Empul Intricate temple door carvings Offerings for the gods Gunung Kawi Temple, an 11th century temple complex in Tampaksiring View more photos and join me in my other adventures on Handcarry Only. High-res

Eating, Praying and Living in Bali (Part 1)

PRAY

The word ‘Bali’ typically evokes images of the beach, of pristine blue and turquoise water along stunning tropical beaches, swaying coconut trees in the tropical sunshine.

But there’s more to Bali than the beach.

Unlike many other beach destinations, I think the best bits of Bali are actually inland, away from the beach and the crowds. Spend a little time probing and exploring and Bali offers you a glimpse of her treasures, countless shrines and ancient temples, bucolic rice paddies and terraces on the hills, a laid back rustic pace of life and seemingly unending culinary treats.

rice terrace panorama

Whilst other tropical islands typically garner adjectives like ‘tropical paradise’, ‘sun-drenched’, ‘relaxing’, ‘luxury’, ‘laid back’, Bali has all that and adds ‘mysterious’, ‘spiritual’ and ‘magical’ to its list of superlatives. The ‘Land of a Thousand Temples’ is not completely accurate, there are actually tens of thousands of temples in Bali, more than houses in fact, a legacy of kingdoms past and human occupation since the Stone Age. Stepping into any of the temples is a journey back in time, moss covered stones and walls hint at the age of these structures, at once enigmatic and peaceful. One does not have to be a believer in the Balinese Hindu religion to appreciate the immense sense of calm these ancient structures offer. Where Angkor Wat in Cambodia impresses by its sheer scale, the temples or Puras in Bali does quite the opposite, they are often small, and tucked into every single corner of the volcanic island. Some of them almost feel like family shrines, intimate and cosy. Statues of hindu gods and goddesses adorn the walls, carved out of black volcanic rock.

doorway uma ubud

uma ubud greenery

view of the river

View of Ubud river from Uma Ubud

ubud palace

Ubud Palace

One of the more spectacular temples in Bali is the Pura Tirta Empul or Temple of the Holy Water. Its sacred spring, said the have curative properties, has drawn devotees for over a thousand years. Legend has it that the sacred spring was created by the God Indra. His forces poisoned by Mayadanawa, a cruel king and dark sorcerer, Indra stabbed the ground with his flag pole, creating an eternal wellspring, the spring water curing his men of their illnesses.

Current day devotees still continue this tradition of bathing in the sacred spring, to wash away bad spirits and physical ailments. In a large rectangular stone pool, fed by 12 fountains from the water of the spring, worshippers first make an offering at the temple, then climb into the pool to bathe and pray.

Whether actual healing takes place or it is merely a placebo effect, everyone certainly leaves with a slight spring (pun unintended) in their step, their troubles abluted.

tirta empul devotees washing

Devotees in the water at Pura Tirta Empul

intricate door carving

colourful door carving

Intricate temple door carvings

offerings for sale

Offerings for the gods

Gunung Kawi

Gunung Kawi Temple, an 11th century temple complex in Tampaksiring
View more photos and join me in my other adventures on Handcarry Only.
Jizo keeping warm | Kamakura, Japan 2012 Jizō, or Ojizō-sama as he is respectfully known, is one of the most loved of all Japanese divinities. His statues are a common sight, especially by roadsides and in graveyards. Traditionally, he is seen as the guardian of children, particularly children who died before their parents. Since the 1980s, he has been worshiped as the guardian of the souls of mizuko, the souls of stillborn, miscarried or aborted fetuses, in the ritual of mizuko kuyō (水子供養, lit. offering to water children). In Japanese mythology, it is said that the souls of children who die before their parents are unable to cross the mythical Sanzu River on their way to the afterlife because they have not had the chance to accumulate enough good deeds and because they have made the parents suffer. It is believed that Jizō saves these souls from having to pile stones eternally on the bank of the river as penance, by hiding them from demons in his robe, and letting them hear mantras. Jizō statues are sometimes accompanied by a little pile of stones and pebbles, put there by people in the hope that it would shorten the time children have to suffer in the underworld. (The act is derived from the tradition of building stupas as an act of merit-making.) The statues can sometimes be seen wearing tiny children’s clothing or bibs, or with toys, put there by grieving parents to help their lost ones and hoping that Jizō would specially protect them. Sometimes the offerings are put there by parents to thank Jizō for saving their children from a serious illness. Jizō’s features are commonly made more babylike to resemble the children he protects. As he is seen as the saviour of souls who have to suffer in the underworld, his statues are common in cemeteries. He is also believed to be one of the protective deities of travelers, the dōsojin, and roadside statues of Jizō are a common sight in Japan. Firefighters are also believed to be under the protection of Jizō. (info from Wikipedia) View my other photos of Japan! High-res

Jizo keeping warm | Kamakura, Japan 2012

Jizō, or Ojizō-sama as he is respectfully known, is one of the most loved of all Japanese divinities. His statues are a common sight, especially by roadsides and in graveyards. Traditionally, he is seen as the guardian of children, particularly children who died before their parents. Since the 1980s, he has been worshiped as the guardian of the souls of mizuko, the souls of stillborn, miscarried or aborted fetuses, in the ritual of mizuko kuyō (水子供養, lit. offering to water children). In Japanese mythology, it is said that the souls of children who die before their parents are unable to cross the mythical Sanzu River on their way to the afterlife because they have not had the chance to accumulate enough good deeds and because they have made the parents suffer. It is believed that Jizō saves these souls from having to pile stones eternally on the bank of the river as penance, by hiding them from demons in his robe, and letting them hear mantras.

Jizō statues are sometimes accompanied by a little pile of stones and pebbles, put there by people in the hope that it would shorten the time children have to suffer in the underworld. (The act is derived from the tradition of building stupas as an act of merit-making.) The statues can sometimes be seen wearing tiny children’s clothing or bibs, or with toys, put there by grieving parents to help their lost ones and hoping that Jizō would specially protect them. Sometimes the offerings are put there by parents to thank Jizō for saving their children from a serious illness. Jizō’s features are commonly made more babylike to resemble the children he protects.

As he is seen as the saviour of souls who have to suffer in the underworld, his statues are common in cemeteries. He is also believed to be one of the protective deities of travelers, the dōsojin, and roadside statues of Jizō are a common sight in Japan. Firefighters are also believed to be under the protection of Jizō. (info from Wikipedia)