Saraswati in Bali : a temple, a museum, and a mask

Abstract

Worshipped as the goddess of knowledge, beauty, and the arts, Saraswati continues to influence daily life in the Balinese village of Peliatan. Saraswati in Bali explains how one of the world's most famous tourist destinations strives to preserve its cultural traditions through the ceremonies, shadow plays, and masked dances held at the Pura Madya temple festival as well as the art collection, landscaped gardens, and cultural events at the nearby ARMA Museum. Theater professor Ron Jenkins has studied Balinese arts and culture for more than thirty years. In this enlightening volume, he shares vivid descriptions of the festival and lively interviews with painters, dancers, farmers, kings, and priests to illustrate Balinese beliefs in the sacred power of art and literature. He also documents how ancient texts inscribed on palm-leaf manuscripts suggest that Saraswati's teachings enrich human life with invisible meaning. Anyone interested in the performing arts or world mythology will be fascinated by the way the museum and temple have helped to keep Bali's hidden wisdom accessible in changing times.