Bali And Lombok Traditional Beliefs

ANIMISM AND ANCESTOR WORSHIP are a strong undercurrent in Balinese life, even in local Hindu observance. The Balinese term sekala niskala (“visible-invisible”) sums up the idea that the physical world is penetrated by a spirit world. The spirits, loosely described as “gods” and “demons”, are honoured almost everywhere with offerings made of flowers and other materials. The invisible world is represented in many vivid symbols. Ancestors are deified in complex rituals and venerated at

domestic and clan temples.