Indonesian Hinduism
Indonesian Hinduism is a distinct kind of Hinduism practiced in Bali and Java in Indonesia, which incorporates local animism, ancestor worship, and devotion to some Bodhisattva. Indonesia has its own deities in Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese beliefs with their native origin but after the arrival of Hinduism and Buddhism, these deities were merged into the new Hindu tradition that reached Indonesia in the 1st century. Balinese Hinduism is practiced by the majority of the people residing in Bali and is recognized as a monotheistic religion. Although most of the deities and rituals have their Indian origin, Hinduism in Bali has codified religious law but has a pantheon of deities and beliefs. Following is a list of goddesses worshipped by Indonesian Hindus:
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Dewi Sri/ Nyai Pohaci Sanghyang Asri: She is a prominent goddess associated with rice, fertility, prosperity, and health in Sundanese and Balinese beliefs. She is often associated with Goddess Lakshmi but has similarities with rice goddesses in the neighboring countries, suggesting her pre-Hindu origin. Dewi Sri is depicted as a beautiful woman holding a rice crop in one of her hands.
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Dewi Danu: She is the water goddess in Balinese tradition.
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Dewi Lanjar: She is a goddess of the sea in Javanese tradition. Her name means "divorced woman with no children", associating her with a widow princess named Dewi Rara Kuning.
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Dewi Ratih/ Sang Hyang Ratih: She is a lunar goddess worshipped in Java and Bali. Her legend is linked to lunar eclipses. In this story, Kala Rau, a giant, attacked Vishnu's abode after Dewi Ratih turned him down. He survived Vishnu's attack as he consumed the amrita, immortal nectar, although as just a head. Kala Rau would attempt shallow Dewi Ratih but she would reappear from Kala Rau's throat, regarded as the root of the eclipses.
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Dewi Kadita/ Nyai Roro Kidul: She is the pre-Hindu-buddhist goddess of the sea and the Queen of the Southern Sea (Indian Ocean) in Sundanese and Javanese mythology.
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Sunan Ambu: The Sundanese people adore her as a protective deity and mother goddess of Sundanese.
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Ibu Pertiwi: She is a mother goddess symbolizing Indonesia. Her origin comes from pre-Hindu ethnic communities who revered the earth and natural spirits. Her figure came to be known as Prithvi, the Hindu mother goddess of the earth, once Hinduism took root in the first millennium, and she was given the name "Pertiwi."
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Puteri Junjung Buih: She was a queen revered as a guardian goddess by many Hindu communities in Indonesia.
