BALI KERIS HILT IDENTIFICATION

A. G. Maisey · 6th December 2007, 06:06 PM

Forgive me asomotif, but you may need a wee bit more involvement and time than to google net sources to enable you to accurately name Balinese deities.

Although the physical forms of Balinese deities follow a more or less general appearance to mainline Hindu deities, there are many variations and inconsistencies in the way in which they are represented. The form can vary from artist to artist and time to time. Some are easy to guess at, such as Ganesha and Hanuman. Others are virtually impossible to name accurately.

Over many years I have read extensively in this area, and I have yet to find a text that I could recommend on the subject.

I normally prefer to avoid trying to give names to specific Balinese representations of a deity because I have been present during conversations with mature and knowledgeable Balinese men , who might produce ten opinions between four or five men.

Giving names to figures on Bali keris handles is very, very difficult and more often likely to be incorrect than correct.

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6th December 2007, 06:06 PM	#8
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Forgive me asomotif, but you may need a wee bit more involvement and time than to google net sources to enable you to accurately name Balinese deities. Although the physical forms of Balinese deities follow a more or less general appearance to mainline Hindu deities, there are many variations and inconsistencies in the way in which they are represented. The form can vary from artist to artist and time to time. Some are easy to guess at, such as Ganesha and Hanuman. Others are virtually impossible to name accurately. Over many years I have read extensively in this area, and I have yet to find a text that I could recommend on the subject. I normally prefer to avoid trying to give names to specific Balinese representations of a deity because I have been present during conversations with mature and knowledgeable Balinese men , who might produce ten opinions between four or five men. Giving names to figures on Bali keris handles is very, very difficult and more often likely to be incorrect than correct.