World’s largest Muslim country preserves its Hindu Past

Ghaus Siwani/ New Delhi

Indonesia is home to more than 2,000 cultural groups. Despite being a Muslim-majority country, the people celebrate cultural diversity and give equal importance to all the religions of the world. However, Indonesia’s history seems to have been most influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism.

Ulan Danu Bratan Temple

The world’s largest Muslim-majority country loves its past. The Indonesian Muslims are proud of and also preserve their ancient Hindu heritage.

There are hundreds of ancient Hindu temples across the country and more are being excavated. These have become major tourist attractions for people from all over the world.

Borabudur Temple

Hinduism and Buddhism flourished in the country during the reign of Shri Vijaya in the seventh century AD and these flourished for next two centuries in during the reigns of Shailendra and Mataram.

Prambanan temples have Buddhist and Hindu influences.

In the capital Bali there are 17 Hindu temples, including the largest one, the Mata Mandir. "Puralon Danobartan Mandir dedicated to Lord Shiva was built in 1663 and Gwagja Temple in the 11th century.

Bookmundi Temple

Today’s Indonesia is dotted with magnificent modern mosques, yet’s it’s the country’s ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples that lure international tourists.

Here, Islamic culture as well as old Hindu traditions are alive and continue to coexist. If you see people wearing Islamic caps and kurtas in the streets, you will also see people wearing Hanuman masks.

The locals call Hanuman of Ramayana era Anoman.

Just like Islamic festivals are celebrated in Indonesia, the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata are also staged in the form of "Ram Leela" and "Ras Leela." Both these dramas portray the stories of the great Hindu epics and are staged by Muslims

.Mahabharrata Ghotakacha -Karna battle statue, Bali

Buddha Purnima is a national holiday in the country to commemorate the day when Buddha got enlightenment. These stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata have been narrated in the local language for centuries. These have achieved the status of folklore.

Once senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani wrote about how surprised he felt to know about Indonesia preserving its Hindu past. He wrote that one of his friends had shown him an Indonesian currency note of 20,000 denomination on which the picture of Lord Ganesa was printed.

Advani wrote: I was surprised to learn that in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population, they have a national holiday on Buddha Purnima. It’s called Hari Raya Vesakh there.

Statue of Vishnu Garuda, Bali

Once senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani wrote about how surprised he felt to know about Indonesia preserving its Hindu past. He wrote that one of his friends had shown him an Indonesian currency note of 20,000 denomination on which the picture of Lord Ganesa was printed.

Advani wrote: I was surprised to learn that in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population, they have a national holiday on Buddha Purnima. It’s called Hari Raya Vesakh there.

Indonesia, a country comprising 13,677 small and large islands with a population of 20.28 crore, and of this 88% are Muslims, 10% are Christians. Its Hindu population is only 2%. The majority of Hindus live on the island of Bali and they proudly identify themselves.

The tourism logo of Bali Island is also borrowed from the Hindu tradition. This is one of the reasons why an island of about three million people, Bali, receives one million tourists in a year, to boost the economy.

The names of places, individuals, and institutions in Indonesia have a clear imprint of Sanskrit. Similarly, travelers to Jakarta are drawn to a statue depicting Lord Krishna and Arjuna riding on a chariot with many horses. The statue is erected near Istiqlal, the country's largest mosque.

Candi Borobudur

77-year-oldGanesha statues in Bormos temple

The temple was built in the 15th century, while the Ample Temple was built in 926 AD. Bali Tanah Lot Temple is a temple of Lord Vishnu built on a huge rock in Bali, Indonesia. Famous for its natural beauty, the temple is said to have been built in the 16th century. This temple is considered one of the most important and attractive places in Indonesia due to its beauty and location.

The architecture of these temples is skin to that of the temples of South India.