Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia sent out many Balinese missionaries to outlying areas like Medan. In 1992, the Parisada hosted the Vishva Hindu Parishad conference in Bali, indicating a building of bridges with the worldwide Hindu community. It is the highest religious body in Bali and is given an official sanction by the government to look into matters of Hindu law. The PHDI in this manner has become a rallying organization for the preservation of Hindu customs. The PHD has contested Indonesia's demographic counts, saying that the 6,501,680 count (given by the government of Indonesia) grossly undercounts the Hindu population, stating that it is closer
History of Indonesia Sailendra and Hindu Mataram dynasties subsequently thrived and declined in inland Java. The last significant non-Muslim kingdom, the Hindu Majapahit kingdom, flourished from the late 13th century, and its influence stretched over much of Indonesia. The earliest evidence of Islamised populations in Indonesia dates to the 13th century in northern Sumatra; other Indonesian areas gradually adopted Islam which became the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the most part, Islam overlaid and mixed with existing cultural and religious influences. Europeans such as the Portuguese arrived in Indonesia from the 16th century seeking