A Bramána cannot be in any servile occupation. He cannot sit on the ground, nor perform obeisance to any other class.
The religion of Báli has been considered as of two descriptions, that of Budh and that of Bráma. The Budhists are said to have come first to the country. Of the Bramánas of Séwa nine generations are said to have passed over since their arrival. The name of the principal Bramána of the caste of Séwa, who first settled on Báli, is said to have been Wútu Ráhu: he came from Telingána, and on his way is said to have touched at Majapáhit.
The Rajas of Báli are generally of the Satria caste; but this does not always hold.
From information obtained at Bliling, it would appear that the greater part of the population of Báli follow the worship of Séwa. The Budhists are said to be rare, and the names of three districts only could be stated, where the Budhist religion is supposed to prevail.
The sacrifice of the widow on the funeral pile of her husband is frequent. All classes may perform this sacrifice, but it is most common with the Satría. Force is said never to be had recourse to on these occasions. The number of women who sacrifice themselves is extraordinary:—the father of the present Raja of Bliling was followed by no less than seventy-four women. The dead body is usually preserved in these cases for many months, and even for a year. The corpse is preserved by daily fumigations with benzoin.
The bodies of the dead are burnt, except in the case of children before they have shed their teeth, and of all persons dying of the small pox: as in the latter case the body cannot be preserved, and it is usual, even with the lower orders, to keep the body for two months. Among some, however, it is said to be usual to throw the dead bodies into the sea.
The flesh of the cow is eaten by all except the Bramánas who have led a life of austerity: these refrain from eating even rice, and live wholly upon roots and fruit.
The Budhists are said to be so little scrupulous in their diet, as to eat not only the flesh of the cow, but even that of dogs and all other animals. Milk is never used as an article of food.
These particulars respecting the religious observances of the Bálians were obligingly communicated to me by Mr. Crawfurd, who visited the island in 1814. In the following year I visited Bliling myself; but my stay was too short to obtain any very detailed information on this interesting particular, further than a collection of their different manuscripts, which have been brought to this country, and already adverted to under the head of Javan literature.
On inquiring into the rank of their deities, they replied at once: