Introduction of Hinduism
Since early times the Balinese have regarded the universe as a structured entity in which everything, including gods, people and demons, each have their allotted place. The introduced Hindu idea of the universe as an ordered place fitted easily into this scheme. The positive, life-giving and life-sustaining deities (dewa and batara) live on the tops of mountains, while the demons and evil beings (bhuta and kata) who are dangerous to humanity dweIl under the sea.

The Balinese are one of the few island cultures that regard the sea with a sense of dread. This scheme reflects the duality of all nature: high and low, right and left, day and night, clean and unclean, good and evil, life and death. Humans are caught between these opposing forces. In the Balinese context, order and harmony are personified by the gods and disorder by the demons. The deities residing on upper slopes of the mountains, and who include the deitied ancestors, are the beings who bestow life on human beings. Demons dwelling in the sea seek humanity's destruction.

Hinduism seeks a balance between opposing forces. Offerings must be regularly made, acknowledging the bounty of the gods. If this respect is not shown, they may punish humanity with volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and epidemics that will destroy those things that people have been given by the gods, so as to remind the Balinese of their duty.
Offerings must also be made to demons and witches to keep them at bay. But whereas those offerings given to the deities are beautiful creations that the Balinese may partake of af ter the gods have taken the essence, offerings foT the demons are simple affairs that are cast on the ground where they may be scavenged by dogs. The higher gods of Bali are all of Javanese- Hindu origin. The lower local deities, or batara, are said to be the descendants of the seven sons and daughters of Sanghyang Pacupati, who is the pre-Hindu high-god of Java. Hinduism became much stronger in Bali in the 15th century when large numbers of Brahman priests fled from Java to escape the encroachment of Islam. It was they who introduced the caste system to Balinese life, placing themselves at the top of the hierarchy.

The Balinese priest is a highly respected figure. There are two levels of priest. The pedanda is a Brahman high priest. One of his chief duties is to make and dispense the holy water. The pedanda carry knowledge of Hindu theology, and through their ritual knowledge can achieve unity with god, and thereby can absorb divine power into the self to purify the water that is needed for all rituals. The pemangku is a temple priest and is usually a member of the sudra caste. They are the priests who tend to take a more active part in the temple ceremonies, receiving the holy water, and generally supervising the proceedings.

One of the ways that Hinduism was introduced to the Balinese by the Brahmans was through the shadow play, or waJang kulit, and other theatrical performances such as tbc masked dance; indeed, these fundamental art: are common on Java. Knowledge of the Hindi epics - Ramayana and Mahabharata - together with their commentaries forms a very important element in Hindu teaching. The Brahman also introduced the basic doctrines Hinduism, the Pancacradha or Five Beliefs, which ultimately govern the everyday behaviour and conduct of the individual.