An Odalan or Piodalan (Balinese script: ᬧᬶᬬᭀᬤᬮᬦ᭄) is a

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

nese village temple festival in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. It is an occasion when the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

village community comes together, invite the gods to visit them for three or more days, perform religious services together offering refreshments and entertainment. It is a periodic event, one that celebrates Balinese Hindu heritage and performance arts. The Odalan celebrations are a social occasion among Indonesian Hindus, and have historically contributed to the rich tradition of theatre and Balinese dance forms. An Odalan marks the founding of a particular Hindu temple, and is celebrated on its birthday according to the '' Pawukon'' – the 210 day Balinese calendar. Since Bali has thousands of Hindu temples, with at least three in each village, several Odalan are celebrated in some part of Bali almost every day of the Gregorian calendar. The celebration rituals are called ''Dewa Yadnya'' (Sanskrit: Deva Yajna), includes processions, decorations of the village temple, entertainment and dancing in the temple courtyard, the village community pools its resources and observes it together. The Odalan at a few large temples, such as the Pura Besakih - the biggest Hindu temple in Bali, has major cultural importance beyond its location. It is an island wide event, and therefore celebrated with major preparations once every 100 Balinese years.

See also