Possibly the most satisfactory approach is simply to enjoy the art.
As I said, some figures in Balinese iconography are unmistakable---twalen, hanuman, ganesha---nobody argues about these, and maybe a few others, but when you get the craftsmen, who make these figures, mixing up attributes, and the Balinese idea of what is correct for a particular figure being different in any case from what might apply outside Bali, the whole thing just becomes too difficult. Then you can get a situation, particularly with an old piece where the carving might represent a particular person.
Yes, it is difficult. Somebody may have come to terms with it, and there may be something in print that can tell us how to interpret all these Balinese figures, but if there is, I have not been able to find it in either English or Indonesian.We can move a little way into the puzzle by referencing a great number of texts, but then you come across contradictions, and ask yourself just who is correct.
To be frank, I've just about given up on ever being able to get a thorough understanding of exactly who and/or what the various Balinese figures found in keris handles, and statuettes, represent. I've got a half understanding, but that's all.
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