 Islam was gradually introduced to Indonesia by Indian traders from Gujarat in the 16th century. Today, over 85% of Indonesians follow Islam. They practice the religion with a unique spirit of tolerance true to the mystical heritage of their soil that teaches that real purity is a matter of a person's inner life. Within the family, each is free to choose his or her own path of faith and social values are imbibed from the wayang or shadow place of the Ramayana and Mahabharat. In his letters from Java to Gorses, they have acquired a subtle refuge in India's soul through the epics. So for an Indian visiting Indonesia, it is a thrill to see the Mahabharat heroes Krishna and Arjun ride their chariot in the heart of the city of Jakarta. And here, on a full moon night of Prambanan near Jog Chakarta in Java, it is Muslim Indonesians who perform the Ramayana. Back in India, in the north-eastern state of Manipur, the Ramayana unfolds when a storyteller begins the episode of Hanuman Dut, a messenger, alongside the shadow theatre in Urisa and the dance ballet of Prambanan in Indonesia. In India, the Ramayana unfolds when a storyteller begins the episode of the Ramayana. The Ramayana unfolds when a storyteller begins the episode of the Ramayana. The Ramayana unfolds when a storyteller begins the episode of the Ramayana. Traders cross the ocean, carrying cloths from the shores of India to Indonesia and returned with gold and spices as early as the first century AD. Since then, with the continuous movement and exchange of goods across the Indian Ocean, there was also a movement and exchange of ideas. Various forms of shadow puppetry evolved in Indonesia, often performed in rituals, whether Dalang or Pappatia is the high priest. In ancient Urisa, the Bhatt Sampradaya community of shadow puppet performers were patronized by the kings of Puri. They accompanied the merchants on their trading ships. This is how they earned their livelihood, sailing away for several months. Textile traditions of both countries have interacted and enriched each other with new colors, new designs and mystical symbols. In India and Indonesia, textiles are much more than just cloths from which garments are made. They are a medium through which the divine nature of the universe is recognized and expressed. The eye sees, the heart feels, the senses resound, the entire being vibrates with the essence, the rasa of life. Feeling the thread of the divine song, the dancer weaves exquisite patterns of the universe into a web of magic. Ancient Indian scriptures list nine dramatic emotions on Navras, depicted through stylized facial expressions. The Manipuri people of India bear a remarkable similarity to the Indonesians, perhaps due to a common ethnicity. Dance in Manipur is as graceful, gentle and meditative as its Javanese counterpart. Our rites of passage give each life a sacred significance. Rituals ensure protection and continuity, while harmony within family and community ensures an undisturbed inner life. Manipur and Bali are culturally dynamic, adopting, adapting and refining outside influence as seen in their practice of Hinduism. The maturation ceremony is done through tooth filing of the upper canine to symbolize the taming of passions. Papatiya Priest or Dalang continues the Hanuman story through the tooth filing ritual. And in Orissa, Guru Sahus Ravan Chhaya troop performs for their audience. And also in Orissa, with the daily prayers to Jagannath or Krishna, are daily rehearsals of the young Goti Pua dancers. Inks with Orissa existed from the pre-Buddhist times. Even today in Indonesia, the word kling is used to describe people of Indian origin, perhaps referring to Kalinga, the ancient Orissa. And in Orissa, even today, people celebrate the Bali Jatra in memory of the age-old journeys to Bali. In Tengganan, Bali, the god Indra is honored as the divine designer of a magical fabric called Gringsing, a double ikkath textile where resist patterns are applied to the warp and the weft and the final pattern appears on completion of the weaving. A technique practiced in the Patola Saris of Gujarat and the Bandhas of Orissa. In Indonesia and India, continuity is essential. An unbroken chain of designs and ideas pass down from one generation to the next and holding the power within. The idea of continuity is held in the Mandala patterns that represent the cosmos and the symbol gives power to the clot. It is used to protect during rites of passage. We live in a world filled with uncertainties where change is constantly necessary. The idea of no or slow change brings a sense of yearning. Objects that are part of this slow evolution connect us with something that is missing in our lives. The yarn is dyed prior to weaving according to a predetermined colour scheme and design. The dye bleeds into the tied areas which gives the ikkath fabric its distinctive blurred or fuzzy-edged look. In Orissa, the weavers take great pains to create the curved line for a fluid lyrical quality. The Mandala symbol is a geometric construct representing the cosmos as a continuum and is found in the textiles and dance traditions of India and Indonesia. It demonstrates the time-space continuum of the cosmos. The black and white checks reconcile the forces of opposites, negative and positive. Contained within them are day and night, light and darkness. Both have equal status. Both are inherent in reality. In keeping with this duality of purposes, Balinese dancers adopt the Dribbhanga or two bends, also a basic classical Indian stance. The curved line, the circle form of Mandala and the entwined figure eight suggests a philosophy, a holistic world view that rests on the belief that time is a continuum. It is eternal. The entwined lines represent the serpentine flow of the prana or force of life rising upward as two forces, the negative and positive. They appear in the kolam designs of Kerala and again in the ground patterns of the dancers of the Lai Harauba dance ritual of Manipura. The deity of the ritual is believed to manifest as a snake. The two parts for the flow of the life force that exists within each one of us are called the ingal and pingal nadis in yogic science of Kundalini. The traditional disciplines of dance, yoga and martial arts are based on this science. Their purpose is holistic and their forms are designed to energize, heal and purify us by aligning us with the cosmic forces. The force of gravity works on every piece of earth but not equally. In Indonesia, the stress is acute. Tidal energy concentrates there to such a degree that it must be dissipated in volcanic activity or giant waves like the tsunami. Movements arise like sparks out of fire showing the temperament of their land. It is instruction by the body. The pupil wears the teacher's skin fitting herself precisely to the mold of her mentor. The teacher carries a whole percussion section on his tongue, shaping the girl's body, making it remember. Classical dance and yoga depict the secret science of Kundalini Shakti as she awakens and rises from the base of the spine to meet the beloved in Sahasrara or cranial region for yoga or union. Of nature, my song is of the wind and rain and sun and hail and like the seasons and their certain strengths of death and rebirth and all the nuances of colour and shape. So am I. Fire was sought not because it is useful but because it fascinates. We have captured the spirit of the sun. We glow. We dance. We are inflamed. The chair bursts to the full. Ground or vitality is imbibed from her elements. Her elemental power is sought in artistic expression. In the jungle and the natural environment, sometimes when we go to the cave, suddenly only a small space and then we become more true to ourselves. As a dancer, a classical Asian court dancer usually has too much. He inherits too much, too much to reach. Sometimes it has become a burden also for his soul because we tend to enjoy a lot of the kind of spectacular form. Sometimes we were absorbed into that kind of power, stitch power. Sometimes when we go to the cave, we become more aware of the body, not the dancer's body, not the patronised body, but just the body itself. Built in the 10th century, the Prambanan temple complex in Jogjakarta has Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva temples. The monument commemorates 16th centuries of Hindu culture in the Indonesian Archipelago. There are 42 panels dedicated to the Ramayana and the Grand Ramayana Ballet is staged within this complex. The Javanese text called Navanathya mentions Karnas or dance freezes. These Karnas off from Bhanam precede the ones found in India by at least 100 years. Once again, through a medley of Indonesian and Indian forms is the story of Hanuman in Lanka who finds the captive Sita in Ashok Vann. And so, the story climaxes with Hanuman setting fire to Lanka as as multi-dimensional and richly woven as our tapestries. The cross-section of our histories shows matching layers of animism, Hinduism, Islam and colonial eras all coexisting today. But through all the change and adversity both nations have upheld a tradition of reverence and grace.