Promoting Hindu Spiritual Activities and Preserving the Traditions of Vernacular Communities: The Balinese Hindu Palm-Leaf Manuscript Literacy Program in Indonesia

Recently, the Balinese Hindu Palm-Leaf manuscript literacy campaign has been formalized in Indonesia in a regional law concerning the Balinese language, scripts, and literature. This study examines this practice to determine how the literacy program has been implemented. It employed a descriptive research method based on phenomenology and studied the Dukuh Penaban traditional village, Karangasem, Bali, as a case study. Within the case study, it employed observations and interviews for gathering data. Observations were carried out during the literacy program of the Museum Pustaka Lontar in Dukuh Penaban. Furthermore, interviews were meployed to gather data with Brahmans, Balinese activists for Balinese language, Balinese intellectuals, the Museum Pustaka Lontar manager, and Penedun” writer or translator of Lontar manuscripts. Its findings clearly show that Balinese Hindu spiritual activities are still practiced. Significantly, tradition must be preserved via reading the palm-leaf manuscripts called lontar in order to restore the spiritual practices for future sustainability of traditions.