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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