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in accordance with strict rules. The esoteric significance of many rites of worship, with incantations and mantras addressed to the gods, seems to be the daily repeated con firmation of Eternal Order encompassing macrocosmos and microcosmos. Moreover Balinese priests are invited by the laity to be officiants in special religious ceremonies in the temples, closely connected with social order. Occasionally priests officiate also in private ceremonies connected with the stages of human life and death. Especially the various funeral rites, with cremation as the centre of interest, are important in the reli gious life of the Balinese. It is a remarkable fact that in Javanese-Balinese texts on ritual the cult of idols of the gods seems to be mentioned nowhere. In Balinese worship idols are not important (cf. 10.000, con clusion). On Balinese religion, especially on the aspects of ceremonies, cremations and rites of worship, a number of books have been written by European and American scholars, who were interested in the remarkably com plex ritual, and fascinated by the splendour of the festivals, with music, dancing and a display of offerings. Dr C. Hooykaas’ “Agama “Tirtha” (Amsterdam 1964) contains refer ences to older books and studies on the subject. See also his “Sürya Sévana”, and “Stava and Stuti”, and Swellengrebel’s “In “Memoriam Dr Roelof Goris” (BKI vol. 122, 1966), which contains a bibliography com piled by R. S. Kami. Whereas modern Balinese religious rites can still be observed and studied, reliable information on Old Javanese ritual is scarce. Javanese-Balinese texts dealing with ritual and offerings are well-known, but it is diffi

cult to ascertain whether their origin really is Old Javanese. Probably several Javanese- Balinese treatises on the subject were written in Bali in a relatively recent period. Old Javanese and present-day Balinese religious ritual should not be put on a par at the outset. Recital of incantations, hymns of the gods and mantras are an important element of religious ritual. In this part of the ritual it is possible to make a distinction between Siwaitic and other hymns and prayers. Manu scripts mainly containing texts of recited incantations, hymns etc. have been registered separately under 12.000 ff. Many Javanese- Balinese compendiums are collections of notes on religious rites in general, however. No distinction is made between notes on the ritual proper, the sequence of the reli gious rites to be performed, and the texts of the incantations, hymns and mantras to be recited. Under the present head manuscripts mainly containing information on various religious rites and offerings of siwaitic origin have been collected. Some Buddhist texts have been registered separately in 11.700 ff. No attempt has been made to distinguish between really Old Javanese texts and Javanese-Balinese texts of a later date, be cause a reliable criterion is lacking. A dis tinction has been made between Javanese- Balinese collections of loose notes on ritual and some compendiums which have proper titles (Pulutuk, Putru). W. Kern’s thesis “Oud Javaansche en Balische Helle-voor- “stellingen” (1934) contains discussions of parts of these texts. Ritual is the main subject of Dr Hooykaas’ studies on Balinese religion. The age of the compendiums is