Parisada Hindu Dharma

Parisada Hindu Dharma (Hinduism Society) was a major reform movement and organization that assisted in the revival of Hinduism in Indonesia . It was started in 1960 by D.R. Ida Bagus Mantra and led by Gedong Bagus Oka.

Creation

It lobbied for the rights of Hindus in Bali after Hinduism became a state sponsored religion (along with Buddhism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism) in 1959. From 1960–64 it was known as Parisada Hindu Dharma Bali'. In 1964 however it began to stress a religious rather than regional character and changed its name to Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia

Religious Efforts

It sent out many Balinese missionairies to outlying areas like Medan . In 1992, the Parisada hosted the Vishva Hindu Parishad conference in Bali, indicating a building of bridges with the worldwide Hindu community.

In Politics

It is the highest religious body in Bali and is given an official sanction by the government to look into matters of Hindu law. The PHDI in this manner has become a rallying organization for the preservation of Hindu customs.

The PHD has contested Indoneisa's demographic counts, saying that the 6,501,680 count (given by the government of Indonesia) grossly undercounts the Hindu population, staing that it is closer to 18 million...
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