Abstract
This article examines the Puja Tri Sandhya, a Balinese Hindu prayer that has been broadcast into the soundscape of Bali since 2001. By charting the development of the prayer, this paper summarizes the religious politics of post-independence Indonesia, which called for the Balinese to adopt the Puja Tri Sandhya as a condition for religious legitimacy in the new nation. The Puja Tri Sandhya is likened to a Balinese “call to prayer” and compared to Muslim and Christian soundings of religion in the archipelago to assert how these broadcasts sonically reify the national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (“Unity in Diversity”), and participate in a sounding of religious nationalism. Although these broadcasts are evidence of a state-sponsored form of religiosity, interviews concerning the degree to which individuals practice the Puja Tri Sandhya point to an element of secularism and position the prayer as an example that challenges the religion versus secularism dichotomy in studies of religious nationalism. This article also examines the sonic components of the Puja Tri Sandhya (when it is sounded, the vocal style, and the gender wayang and genta bell accompaniment), to argue how these elements infuse this invented display of religiosity with authority and facilitate a mediation between technology, space, and local identity. Exploration of the gender wayang accompaniment in particular, further confirms the contrived nature of the Puja Tri Sandhya and demonstrates how technologies used to broadcast the prayer have had a significant impact on the gender wayang musical tradition.
Highlights
Religiously diverse, Indonesia is home to the world’s single largest population of Muslims
Tunggal Ika (“Unity in Diversity”), and participate in a sounding of religious nationalism. These broadcasts are evidence of a state-sponsored form of religiosity, interviews concerning the degree to which individuals practice the Puja Tri Sandhya point to an element of secularism and position the prayer as an example that challenges the religion versus secularism dichotomy in studies of religious nationalism
This article examines the sonic components of the Puja Tri Sandhya, to argue how these elements infuse this invented display of religiosity with authority and facilitate a mediation between technology, space, and local identity
Summary
Indonesia is home to the world’s single largest population of Muslims. Since 2001, the Puja Tri Sandhya (hereafter PTS), a Balinese Hindu mantra accompanied by gender wayang music and a genta bell, has been broadcast from loudspeakers on village meeting halls (banjar) during the three transition times of the day (6 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m.).. Since 2001, the Puja Tri Sandhya (hereafter PTS), a Balinese Hindu mantra accompanied by gender wayang music and a genta bell, has been broadcast from loudspeakers on village meeting halls (banjar) during the three transition times of the day (6 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m.).1 Given this relatively recent addition to the Balinese soundscape, several questions arise: What is the function and impact of this Balinese “call to prayer?” How does the PTS relate to other technologically-aided soundings of religion in the archipelago? Exploration of the gender wayang accompaniment in particular, further confirms the contrived nature of the Puja Tri Sandhya and demonstrates how technologies used to broadcast the prayer have had a significant impact on the gender wayang musical tradition
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