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Hinduism has historically been a major religious and cultural influence inJava, Indonesia.Hinduism was the dominant religion in the region before the arrival ofIslam. In recent years, it has also been enjoying something of a resurgence, particularly in the eastern part of the island.[1][2]
BothJava andSumatra were subject toconsiderable cultural influence fromIndia during the first and second millennia of theA.D.. BothHinduism andBuddhism, which are bothIndian religions and share a common historical background and whose membership may even overlap at times, were widely propagated in theMaritime Southeast Asia.[citation needed]
Hinduism and theSanskrit language through which it was transmitted, becamehighly prestigious and the dominant religion in Java. Many Hindu temples were built, includingPrambanan nearYogyakarta, which has been designated aWorld Heritage Site; and Hindu kingdoms flourished, of which the most important wasMajapahit.[citation needed]
In the sixth and seventh centuries many maritime kingdoms arose in Sumatra and Java which controlled the waters in theStraits of Malacca and flourished with theincreasing sea trade between China and India and beyond. During this time, scholars from India and China visited these kingdoms to translateliterary andreligious texts.[citation needed]
Majapahit was based in Central Java, from where it ruled a large part of what is now western Indonesia. The remnants of the Majapahit kingdom shifted toBali during the sixteenth century asMuslim kingdoms in the western part of the island gained influence.[3] Mentions of Hinduism in Java end around the early 16th century.[4]
Although Java was gradually converted to Islam during the 15th century and afterwards, substantial elements of Hindu (and pre-Hindu) customs and beliefs persist among ordinary Javanese. Particularly in central and eastern Java,Abangan or 'nominal' Muslims are predominant.Javanists, who uphold this folk tradition, coexist along with more orthodox Islamicizing elements.[citation needed]
Hinduism or Hindu-animist fusion have been preserved by a number of Javanese communities, many of which claim descent fromMajapahitwarriors and princes. TheOsings in theBanyuwangi Regency ofEast Java are a community whose religion shows many similarities to that of Bali.TheTenggerese communities at the foot ofMount Bromo are officially Hindu, but their religion includesmany elements of Buddhism including the worship ofLord Buddha along with Hindu trinity Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. TheBadui inBanten have areligion of their own which incorporates Hindu traits. Many Javanese communities still practiceKejawèn, consisting of an amalgam of animistic, Buddhist, and Hindu aspects.Yogyakarta is stronghold of Kejawen.[5]
Conversions to Hinduism varies, an example being in two close and culturally similar regions, theYogyakarta region, where only sporadic conversions to Hinduism had taken place, and theKlaten region, which has witnessed the highest percentage of Hindu converts in Java. It has been argued that this dissimilarity was related to the difference in the perception of Islam among the Javanese population in each region. Since the mass killings of 1965–1966 in Klaten had been far worsel than those in Yogyakarta, in Klaten the political landscape had been more politicized than in Yogyakarta. Because the killers in Klaten were to a large extent identified with Islam, the people in this region did not convert to Islam, but preferred Hinduism (and Christianity).[6]
Also there is fear for those who are adherent of Javanism of the purge, in order to hide their practices they converted into Hinduism, though they may not entirely practice the religion. Many of the new "Hindus" in Gunung Lawu and Kediri are an example of this.[7]
