Shiva Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Indonesia === [[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Beeld van Shiva Dijeng-plateau TMnr 60037355.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Shiva sculpture, [[Dieng Plateau]] in [[Java]], [[Indonesia]]]] In [[Hinduism in Indonesia|Indonesian Shaivism]] the popular name for Shiva has been ''[[Batara Guru]]'', which is derived from Sanskrit ''Bhattāraka'' which means "noble lord".{{sfn|Ghose|1966|pp=16, 123, 494–495, 550–552}} He is conceptualized as a kind spiritual teacher, the first of all [[Guru]]s in Indonesian Hindu texts, mirroring the Dakshinamurti aspect of Shiva in the [[Indian subcontinent]].{{sfn|Ghose|1966|pp=130–131, 550–552}} However, the Batara Guru has more aspects than the Indian Shiva, as the Indonesian Hindus blended their spirits and heroes with him. Batara Guru's wife in [[Southeast Asia]] is the same Hindu deity [[Durga]], who has been popular since ancient times, and she too has a complex character with benevolent and fierce manifestations, each visualized with different names such as Uma, Sri, Kali and others.<ref>Hariani Santiko (1997), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1178725 The Goddess Durgā in the East-Javanese Period] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822214426/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1178725 |date=22 August 2018 }}, Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 56, No. 2, pp. 209–226</ref>{{sfn|Ghose|1966|pp=15–17}} In contrast to Hindu religious texts, whether Vedas or Puranas, in [[wayang|Javanese puppetry (wayang)]] books, Batara Guru is the king of the gods who regulates and creates the world system. In the classic book that is used as a reference for the puppeteers, it is said that Sanghyang Manikmaya or Batara Guru was created from a sparkling light by Sang Hyang Tunggal, along with the blackish light which is the origin of Ismaya.<ref>{{cite book|title=Ensiklopedi wayang Indonesia: A-B |volume=1 |editor=Sena Wangi |publisher=Sekretariat Nasional Pewayangan Indonesia |year=1999 |isbn=9799240018 |language=id |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pN9kAAAAMAAJ |page=259}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IytwAAAAMAAJ |page=525 |title=The British in Java, 1811–1816: a Javanese account |volume=10 |series=Oriental documents |editor=P. B. R. Carey |publisher=Oxford University Press, for British Academy |year=1992 |isbn=0197260624}}</ref> Shiva has been called Sadāśiva, Paramasiva, Mahādeva in benevolent forms, and Kāla, Bhairava, Mahākāla in his fierce forms.{{sfn|Ghose|1966|pp=15–17}} The Indonesian Hindu texts present the same philosophical diversity of Shaivite traditions found in the Indian subcontinent. However, among the texts that have survived into the contemporary era, the more common are of those of [[Shaiva Siddhanta]] (locally also called Siwa Siddhanta, Sridanta).{{sfn|Ghose|1966|pp=155–157, 462–463}} During the pre-Islamic period on the island of [[Java]], Shaivism and Buddhism were considered very close and allied religions, though not identical religions.{{sfn|Ghose|1966|pp=160–165}} The medieval-era Indonesian literature equates Buddha with Siwa (Shiva) and Janardana (Vishnu).<ref>J.L. Moens (1974), ''Het Buddhisme Java en Sumatra in Zijn laatste boeiperiods'', T.B.G., pp. 522–539, 550; {{oclc|10404094}}</ref> This tradition continues in predominantly Hindu Bali Indonesia in the modern era, where Buddha is considered the younger brother of Shiva.{{sfn|Ghose|1966|pp=4–6, 14–16, 94–96, 160–161, 253}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page