Bali: Sekala and Niskala: v.1 (Periplus Art & Culture Books) - Softcover

Eiseman, Fred

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0945971036 ISBN 13: 9780945971030

Publisher: Periplus Editions, 1996

Synopsis

With the rising number of tourists visiting Bali every year there is a growing desire by travellers to know more about the country they are visiting. The first of two volumes, this book offers a collection of essays on the seen (sekala) and the unseen (niskala) elements of Bali's cultural life. The essays cover a wide range of topics from Hindu mythology and trance healing to cremations and seaweed farming. This volume concentrates on religion, ritual and art. The second volume expores society, tradition and craft.

About this title

Book Description:

"The best book on bali for the serious visitor...Has the freshness of personal experience."—Dr. Hildred Geertz, author of Kinship in bali and Professor of Anthropology at Princeton university

in bali, what you see—sekala—is a colorful world of ceremony, ritual, dance, and drama. What you don't see what is occult—niskala—is the doctrine underlying the pageants, the code underlying the rites, and the magic underlying the dance. in this book, author Fred Eiseman explores both tangibles and intangibles in the realm of balinese religion, ritual, and performing arts.

The essays collected here topics ranging from Hindu mythology to modern gamelan music. Eiseman's approach is that of a dedicated reporter in love with his subject—he has the knowledge and patience to explain the near–infinite permutations of the balinese calendar, and yet he is still moved by the majesty of the great Eka Dasa Rudra ceremony. The author's 28 years experience on the island shows, and this book rewards close reading—even by the most seasoned students of balinese culture.

About the Author:

Fred Eiseman's 28 years of experiences in bali and his love of balinese culture prompted him to write this book.

About this edition

• Publisher: Periplus Editions
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0945971036
• ISBN 13: 9780945971030
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 392