INDONESIA, February 9, 2008: In 1991 I went on a two-week Smithsonian tour of Bali, the Indonesian island most famous for its dances, craft arts, and Hindu festivals. As I boarded a Garuda International flight in Los Angeles, I was impressed that a nation that is 90 percent Muslim would name its airline after a Hindu deity.
Starting in the 7th Century A.D., Hindus and Buddhists from India established prosperous kingdoms in Indonesia, and the largest Buddhist stupa in antiquity is found on the island of Java.
When the population of the area was largely affected by Muslim influence and converted to Islam, it chose to retain its cultural identity, though it was deeply rooted in another faith, Hinduism. Today Muslim shadow puppeteers entertain large audiences with night-long performances of the Hindu epics–the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, in an awkard mix.
But not so in Bali. The Balinese were a group not willing to convert. Today three million Hindus preserve their rich culture on that beautiful island.