Temple and king: Resource management, rituals and redistribution in early Bali

Abstract

This article discusses the intricate relationship between economics, temples, rituals, and king and kingship in early Bali. So far the anthropological representation of the organization of the pre-colonial or early colonial Balinese state and society has oscillated between the 'theatre state' in which 'power served pomp' and the alleged disjunction of the state from an economy based for the most part on irrigated agriculture (rice). This article suggests that regional lords as well as kings had a substantial share in the economy as well as in the ritual organization of irrigation agriculture. This involvement functioned on both the local or regional level, with its corresponding irrigation associations (subak) and their rituals, and on the transregional level, with its major temples - which also acted as redistribution centres - and their authorities.