Religion in Bali

As you explore Bali, you will find that the Balinese on the whole are deeply religious (or should I say, superstitious) people. Religion in Bali is like part of the culture and way of life.
The majority of the people of Bali are Hindus, but the practise a uniquely Balinese form of Hinduism that merges the borrowed belief system with homegrown animistic beliefs and a fear of the supernatural. You can see this reflected in the various village festivals and rituals centered around the worship of agriculture and mountain deities.
Although Buddhism made its entry on Balinese shores as early as AD 1000, it was only in the last century that mainstream Buddhism gained a significant presence - albeit never challenging the position of Hinduism. The Brahma Vihara Ashrama monastery is now of the few Buddhist monasteries in Bali.
While Christian missionaries were successful in converting many tribes across the Indonesian archipelago, most of the Christians in Bali are found in West Bali, where they relocated after conversion in the early 20th century. Many of the Christians in Bali are in fact ethnic Chinese.
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