Chapter culture of Spain

HINDUISM IN INDONESIA

Of all official religions Hinduism has the longest history in the archipelago. However, on most Indonesian islands this chapter in its history has been erased by time or conquest. The only exception being the island of Bali. Until the present day most inhabitants of this island (known as 'island of the Gods') practice Balinese Hinduism. Besides Bali's beautiful countryside and beaches, this Balinese Hinduism is a major reason for tourists to visit the island.
Before Hinduism and Buddhism arrived in the Archipelago, the indigenous population practiced forms of animism. However, when Hinduism arrived in the western part of the archipelago through a trade network that stretched from China to India in the first century of the Common Era, local rulers considered this new religion as a tool that could enhance their power. By representing themselves as Hindu deities, they managed to grow their status.
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BUDDHISM IN INDONESIA

Only 0.7 percent of the Indonesian population - or 1.7 million individuals - are Buddhists. Indonesia's Buddhist communities are concentrated in Riau, the Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung, North Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Jakarta. The clear majority of Indonesian Buddhists consist of the ethnic Chinese community. In fact there are many Chinese who actually practice Taoism and Chinese folk religion but are classified as Buddhist as the Indonesia government does not recognize these streams.
The history of Buddhism and Hinduism in Indonesia is highly intertwined. In the second century of the Common Era Buddhism spread to Southeast Asia through the same trade networks that had brought Hinduism to the archipelago one century earlier. The early maritime empire of Srivijaya on Sumatra served as a Buddhist learning center for Chinese monks in the seventh century. One century later the impressive Borobudur temple was built by the Sailendra dynasty in Central Java, while in the 15th century the grand Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit empire ruled a large part of the Archipelago. There are various sites on Sumatra and Java where you can find Buddhist remnants from between the 2nd - 15th century. Starting from the 16th century Islam became the dominant religion on Sumatra and Java.