“What religion are the Balinese?” asked Martin, upon one of these occasions.
“Hindoo, of the sect of Siva.”
“Then, like the people of Western India, they are divided into castes.”
“Yes—four—the Priesthood, Soldiery, Merchants, and Servants, called Brahmana, Satriya, Wisiya, and Sudra.”
“What was the supposed origin of these castes, can you tell me?”
“Yes—the god Brahma produced the Brahmana from his mouth, which means wisdom; the Satriya from his chest, which imports strength; the Wisiya from his abdomen, which implies that it is his business to furnish subsistence to society; and the Sudra from his feet, which implies that he is destined to obedience and servitude.”
“Have they always been Hindoos?”
“No, sahib—the religion of Siva was introduced into Bali about four hundred years ago; before that the prevailing religion was Buddhism. A few years previous to the Mahomedan conversion of the Javanese, there arrived in Java a number of Brahmins, of the sect of Siva, who received protection from Browisoyo, the last Hindoo sovereign of Mojopahit, a kingdom of Java, whose sea-bed was washed by the Straits of Madura; but the latter kingdom being overthrown, the Brahmins fled to Bali, under their leader Wahu Bahu, and there disseminated their doctrines.”
“But, Prabu,” I interposed, “is it not curious that the Mahomedans—having, by their usual means, converted the whole of Java and the adjacent islands to the faith of your prophet—should have permitted the Balinese to continue the terrible worship of Siva?”
“‘What is written is written.’ The time for their conversion had not, perhaps, come; then the refugees were fierce and determined, and the shores of Bali are inaccessible to conquerors, for they have neither harbors nor even anchoring-ground.”