You are on page 1of 3

WHY IS THE MONKEY FOREST OF PADANGTEGAL CONSIDERED TO BE SACRED?

The Monkey Forest of Padangtegal represents a sacred Balinese Hindu site. In


trying to understand Balinese Hinduism it is important to keep in mind that
Balinese Hinduism is unlike Hinduism practiced in other parts of the world
today. Balinese Hinduism combines aspects of Animism, Ancestor Worship,
Buddhism, and Hinduism.

Animism and Ancestor Worship

Some of the first evidence of extensive human inhabitation on Bali dates back to approximately
2,500 B.C. The religion of the Bali Aga (original Balinese) centered around both Animism and
Ancestor Worship. Ancestor Worship represents the belief that prosperity is associated with a
relationship that exists between the living and the dead (prosperity is something that can only
be achieved through intense worship and obtainment of blessings from ancestors). Animism
represents the belief that inanimate objects and other elements of the natural landscape can
possess souls which can help as well as hinder human efforts on Earth.

It remains a mystery as to whether or not the Bali Aga ever inhabited the site that is now
known as the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal. Currently, there are only a few remaining
Bali Aga villages on Bali and none of them are located in the vicinity of the Sacred Monkey
Forest. However, today many Balinese believe that ravines and forested areas are particularly
notorious for harboring human and animal spirits. These beliefs probably originated from the
Bali Aga and suggest that the Bali Aga may have considered sites like the Monkey Forest of
Padangtegal to be sacred.

Hinduism and Buddhism

Around A.D. 500, Hindu and Buddhist priests began arriving on Bali (having traveled aboard
Indian trade ships). In addition, between A.D. 732 and A.D. 1478, Bali was conquered by several
Javanese Hindu kingdoms. An analysis of the Pura Purana (a holy lontar book which is a
historical record for temples) indicates that a temple was built on the site of the Sacred Monkey
Forest of Padangtegal during the mid-14th century. It is possible that this temple was built by
the Pejeng Dynasty (the Pejeng Dynasty was centered on Bali in the vicinity of Ubud and was
conquered by the Majapahit empire in A.D. 1343) or it is possible that it was built by the
Majapahit empire. The Majapahit empire was based on Java, extended throughout the
Indonesian archipelago, and during the 1400s was attacked and eventually conquered by
Islamic military forces. Today, most Balinese claim to be descendants of Majapahit nobility that
exiled from Java to Bali (Majapahit nobility exiled to Bali until A.D. 1478).

Other than the Pura Purana, unfortunately there is very little data indicating
when structures were historically built within the Sacred Monkey Forest of
Padangtegal. It is possible that there have been a number of temples and
shrines within the Sacred Monkey Forest that were destroyed. In addition,
the existing temple structures contain a large number of historical
renovations. Tourists are often surprised to learn that many structures
within the Sacred Monkey Forest which appear to be very old, are in reality only several years
old. Wenara Wana staff members do not replace temple structures to confuse or trick tourists.
Structures are usually replaced because the soft volcanic rock, which has historically been
utilized in temple construction, tends to rapidly deteriorate in Bali's tropical climate. Also,
temples are maintained and utilized for important religious ceremonies.

The fundamental doctrine of Hinduism involves the concept of reincarnation


or transferability of the soul. All living things are believed to be able to take
part in reincarnation. After death, how an individual is reincarnated, in
terms of body or form, is determined by a social caste system representing
steps on a universal ladder and whether or not the individual behaved
'badly' or 'well'. Today, there are 3 primary Balinese Hindu castes (Brahmans
or Priests, Kshatriya or Nobles, and Sudra or Commoners). The Balinese caste system further
divides the Brahman into the Saiwite Brahman (Brahmana-Siwa) and Buddhist Mahayana
Brahmana (Brahmana-Buddha). The Balinese Hindu caste system is not nearly as rigid as its
Indian counterpart. One reason for this is that Sudra (lower caste Balinese ) outnumber higher
caste Balinese by nearly 10 to 1.

Buddhism was founded by Gautama (the Buddha), in northeastern India, around 560 B.C. Like
Hinduism, the fundamental doctrine of Buddhism involves reincarnation. However, Gautama
founded Buddhism primarily as a protest to the Indian caste system. Gautama taught his
followers that humans can be liberated from the ceaseless cycle of reincarnation, by
abandoning desires that create misery in the world and by removing spiritual ignorance.

Pura Puseh, Pura Desa, and Pura Dalem

Today, most Balinese villages have 3 major pura (temple) sites. Pura Puseh (temples of origin)
tend to be located towards the kaja (upstream) end of villages, are associated with the God
Wisnu, and are dedicated to remembering the founders of villages. Dewa Wisnu is also known
as 'the sustainer of life' because he has the ability to incarnate as an avatar (God-Man), move
freely between the heaven of the Gods and the Earth of humans, and he often appears to save
the world by realigning it to the divine.

Pura Desa (village temples) tend to be located in the middle of villages, are
associated with the God Brahma, and are places where community councils
meet to pray and govern. Dewa Brahma is also known as 'the creator'
because he is a reflection of the creative consciousness upon which both
artistic creativity (which is a very important part of Balinese villages) and
creation itself are founded. Pura Dalem (temples of the dead) tend to be
located towards the kelod (downstream) end of villages, are associated with the God Siwa, and
have graveyards. Dewa Siwa is also known as 'the destroyer' because his spiritual function is to
destroy negativity in the world. Dewa Siwa prepares dead people for reincarnation by judging
whether or not a person's karma (actions) have been bad or good. Dewa Siwa destroys
negativity by punishing people who behaved badly. The Sacred Monkey Forest is the location of
Padangtegal's Pura Dalem.

Bali Institute Archive,


sources monkeyforestubud(dot)com

You might also like