Beyond the Realm of the Senses The Balinese Ritual of Kekawin Composition

This book is the first comprehensive study of the practice of kekawin composition in Bali. Based on field research and a diverse range of palm leaf texts, it explores Balinese perceptions of kekawin composition and demonstrates the nexus between religion and the writing of these poems. Like kekawin from ancient Java, Balinese kekawin have been conceived as a mystical means of unification with divinity, as temples of language.