Table Of ContentWali Pitu and Muslim Pilgrimage in Bali, Indonesia
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Other titles in this series:
Muhammad Adlin Sila, Being Muslim in Indonesia. Religiosity, Politics and Cultural
Diversity in Bima, 2021.
Ahmad Syafii Maarif, Islam, Humanity, and Indonesian Identity. Reflections on History,
2018.
Erik-Jan Zürcher (editor), Studies on the Ottoman Jihad at the centenary of Snouck
Hurgronje’s ‘Holy War Made in German, 2016.
Kees van Dijk, Nico J.G. Kaptein (editors), Islam, Politics and Change. The Indonesian
Experience after the Fall of Suharto, 2016.
David Crawford, Bart Deseyn, Nostalgia for the Present. Ethnography and Photography
in a Moroccan Berber Village, 2014.
Maurits S. Berger (editor), Applying Shariʿa in the West. Facts, Fears and the Future of
Islamic Rules on Family Relations in the West, 2013.
Jan Michiel Otto, Hannah Mason (editors), Delicate Debates on Islam. Policymakers
and Academics Speaking with Each Other, 2011.
Wali Pitu and Muslim Pilgrimage
in Bali, Indonesia
Inventing a Sacred Tradition
Syaifudin Zuhri
Leiden University Press
Debates on Islam and Society, volume 8
Cover design: Tarek Atrissi Design
Cover image: Muslim pilgrims at Pura Keramat (photo by author)
Lay-out: Crius Group
Every effort has been made to obtain permission to use all copyrighted
illustrations reproduced in this book. Nonetheless, whosoever believes
themselves to have rights to this material is advised to contact the publisher.
ISBN 978 90 8728 385 8
e-ISBN 978 94 0060 431 5
NUR 717
© Syaifudin Zuhri / Leiden University Press, 2022
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved
above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into
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Acknowledgement
This book deals with the emergence of the tradition of saint worship
in contemporary Indonesia. It touches upon the issue of the trav-
elling tradition, translocal connectivity between Java and Bali, reli-
gious economy, Islam-Hindu relationship, relations between Muslim
groups, and questions of authority and authenticity. The book derives
from my dissertation at Institut für Asien- und Afrikawissenschaften
(IAAW) of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin which I defended on
20 December 2018. My research was made possible through the schol-
arship and generous financial support of the Berlin Graduate School
Muslim Cultures and Societies/BGSMCS. I would also like to express
my heartfelt gratitude to Vincent Houben, Manja Stephan-Emmrich,
Gudrun Krämer, Bettina Gräf, Lars Ostermeier and my inspiriting col-
leagues at IAAW and BGSMCS. This published version would not have
been possible without the critical comments and encouraging feed-
back of the two reviewers from Debates on Islam and Society-Leiden
University Press.
I would like to acknowledge my friends, colleagues, and profes-
sors in the Netherlands and Indonesia, especially Léon Buskens,
Martin van Bruinessen, Nico Kaptein, Henk Schulte-Nordholt,
David Kloos, Dick van der Meij, M. Latief Fauzi, Dyah Wirastri,
Stijn van Huis, Muhammad As’ad, Fahrizal, Sunarwoto, Munirul
Ikhwan, Najib Kailani, Syahril Siddik and Sri Margana. My sincere
thanks go to all of my colleagues at the State Islamic University of
Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah/UIN SATU of Tulungagung and the Ministry
of Religious Affairs of Indonesia. In the field, I would like to con-
vey my deepest appreciation to Kamajaya and Imron Hadi Tamim
for patiently helping me to navigate Balinese culture and villages. I
would also like to thank the people of Loloan, especially Rifqil Halim,
the late Habib Aqil, and Habib Salim who kindly provided me with a
nice place to stay at his Pesantren Bafaqihiyyah. Pak Faridin, Anwar,
Ariel, Bukhari, and many others in Candikuning, thank you for hav-
ing me in your community. In Seseh, I learnt a lot from Jro Made
Artana, Jro Bulit, Agus, and the members of Permas Blambangan.
Importantly, I would like to thank Sulanam and Dewa Arya from
Surabaya, Hasanuddin, Nurkhan and all colleagues of Al-Jamali who
always welcomed me during my fieldwork. My sincere thanks also go
to the family of Toyyib Zaen Arifin: Ibu Khoiriyyah, Fendik, Syifa’ and
Halimah.
To Ima and our two kids, Darvesh and Khizar, who have always
been there, it’s been an unforgettable journey and this book would have
never existed without you. Terima kasih.
Note on Transliteration and Translation
This book deals with terminologies and expressions in non-Western
languages; in this instance, Arabic, Javanese, Balinese, and Indonesian.
All words in Javanese and Balinese are written according to their mod-
ern spellings as they are used in Indonesia today, such as the Balinese
word kaja, instead of kajê, and the Javanese telatah, instead of têlatah.
In transliterating Arabic terms, I adopt the simplified system of the
International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES), but dispers-
ing with diacritics for long vowels and consonants such as the Arabic
word hāṭif is transliterated as hatif. I believe those with an adequate
linguistic qualification of Arabic will be able to establish the original
Arabic. For the plural forms of Arabic words, which have been adopted
in Indonesian, and non-English words in this book, I do not add an
‘s’, thus the word ulama, habib, sayyid can both be singular or plural.
The spelling of Indonesian follows the online version of the official
Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia/KBBI (the Comprehensive Indonesian
Dictionary), thus I write ‘Wali Sanga’ instead of the more popular
‘Walisongo.’ Unless the English translations are available, the transla-
tions from Arabic, Indonesian, Javanese, and Balinese are mine.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgement 5
Note on Transliteration and Translation 6
List of Figures 8
Maps 9
Introduction: Muslim Pilgrimage in Bali 11
Part 1: Java and Bali in the Invention of the Wali Pitu
1. Saint Veneration in Indonesia 31
2. The Invention of the Wali Pitu 53
3. Wisata Religi: Pilgrimage and Tourism in Bali 89
Part 2: Questions of Authority and Authenticity
4. Al-Qablal Wujud: Identity and Religious Economy 119
5. Keramat Gunung: Islam and Muslim Politics in Candikuning 145
6. Sharing the Sacred: Hybridity and Transgressing Boundaries 177
Conclusion: ‘Made in Bali, by Java’ 205
Bibliography 211
Glossary and Abbreviation 239
Notes 245
Index 307
List of Figures
Otherwise stated, all photos and maps are by the author.
Figure 1: Map of Java and Bali 9
Figure 2: Map of Bali, Tombs of Wali Pitu, and Wisata Religi
Itinerary 9
Figure 3: Popular image of the Wali Sanga 36
Figure 4: The first version of Wali Pitu image 79
Figure 5: The second version of Wali Pitu image 80
Figure 6: Haul of the Wali Pitu 83
Figure 7: Wisata religi with modest facilities and the pilgrims 104
Figure 8: Spatial distribution of sacred places in Loloan 136
Figure 9: Pilgrimage at the grave of Ali Bafaqih 140
Figure 10: Keramat Gunung and its pilgrims 153
Figure 11: Candikuning and its banjar division 165
Figure 12: From Pamereman to Pura Keramat Ratu Mas Sakti 185
Figure 13: Map of Seseh and the Hierarchy of Spaces of Pura
Keramat Ratu Mas Sakti 188
Figure 14: Sharing the Sacred 194
Maps
Figure 1: Map of Java and Bali
Figure 2: Map of Bali, Tombs of Wali Pitu, and Wisata Religi Itinerary
* The author travelled to cities in Java marked by the stars. The stars also indicate
villages in Bali where extensive fieldwork was conducted: Loloan (in Negara, west
Bali), Seseh (in Badung, south Bali), Candikuning 2 (in Tabanan, central Bali)
