105 
OF THE RELIGION OF SASSAK. 
By M. Zollinger. 
We should perhaps say the “ religions” of the inhabitants of Lom¬ 
bok, seeing that the rulers are Hindus and their subjects Mahomedans, 
The Sassaks are not very zealous Mahomedans, and at all events 
are much less fanatical than their neighbours on the island of Sura- 
bawa. This arises perhaps from Mahomedanism not having struck 
its root deeply, from the small number of priests particularly hadji 
who are found on the island, and lastly from the Balinese being very 
tolerant, and never obstructing their subjects in their religion. 
A Sassak who becomes a Hindu enjoys the same priviliges as the 
B&Unese. His possessions are free from taxation. Again all Sassak 
girls who have been seized and purchased by Balinese become Bali¬ 
nese, as do their children also. Hence it often happens that the 
whole family embraces the B&lniese religion, and so it is constantly 
gaining some believers. Mr. K. says that the contrary never occurs, 
that is he does not know an instance of a Balinese having become a 
Mahomedan, 
The Sassaks no longer know when and in what manner their fore¬ 
fathers became Mahomedans. It appears to me probable that the 
first Mahomedans came from Surabawa and gradually converted the 
inhabitants of Lombok, or that this was effected by Bug is who re¬ 
sorted directly from Celebes as apostles of trade. In any event the 
conversion appears to have taken place in a peaceable manner, and 
not through the sword. 
The religion of the Balinese on Lombok is entirely the same as 
that of the inhabitants of Bali. The worship, the temples, the ca¬ 
lendar, the year, the months and their names, are all the same as on 
Bali. I have thus little to tell that has not already been said by 
Crawfurd, or in my article on Ball in the T. voor N. I., or in that of 
Melvill in the Moniteur des Indes. And since Mr. Freiderieh has 
been for some time on Ball with the special object of studying the 
political and religious institutions of that islsnd,we may expect much 
more careful and complete elucidations than all that I could here 
