|
Bali:
The Land of Temples Day
Inseparable from the religious rituals of the Balinese are
the temples. Just like cathedrals in Europe, temples are the
most ubiquitous architecture in Bali. Every house has its
own little shrine, usually a dedication to their ancestors.
The rice field has a little shrine dedicated to Dewi Sri,
the goddess of rice. Each village usually has three temples.
For the entire island, the Mother Temple of Besakih, situated
on the slope of Mount Agung, is the most important of all
temples.
To the Balinese, temples and their various structures are
not worshipped. Temples are meant to be pleasant resting place
for the gods on their stay on the island. As such, entertaining
the gods or appeasing the goddesses or most of religious rituals
through endless festivals will take place in the three village
temples:
- Pura Puseh: a temple dedicated to the ancestors of the
village.
- Pura Desa: a temple used for official celebrations of
the village community.
- Pura Dalem: or the temple of death, dedicated to the deities
of death and of cremation
Architecture of a Temple
The word for temple in Balinese is Pura, which comes from
a Sanskrit word that literally translates into a place surrounded
by walls. A Balinese Pura typically consists of walls surrounding
two or three courtyards. The huge, elaborately carved entrance
gate is usually a split gate, known also as Candi Bentar.
Candi Bentar is usually guarded on both sides by statues of
temple guards. Sculptured figures can be found in various
locations in a temple.
The outer courtyard is separated from the inner courtyard
by another wall, and the entrance is a covered gateway called
Padu Raksa. The walls surrounding the courtyards are usually
heavily decorated with bas-reliefs, depicting stories that
can range from traditional Mahabrata mythology or as simple
as daily events of a Balinese. In the middle of the inner
court, usually imposingly stands a waringin or frangipani
tree. Inside each courtyard you will find several interesting
structures:
- Bale
Each courtyard may have several little pavillions called
bale. These bale may be as simple as a roofed structure
supported by four pillars with cement or stone floors. For
a village temple, the orchestra will be housed in one of
these bale.
- Meru
Meru is the tiered roof structure that you can find atop
a little pavillion dedicated to a god or goddess. You can
only have an odd number of merus, and the highest is 11,
signifying the greatest respect. The goddess of rice, Dewi
Sri, for example, will have eleven-tiered merus dedicated
to her.
- Kulkul
Kulkul is a hollow log that functions similar to a church
bell; it is used to call together the village community.
In a village temple, it is usually housed in a tower whose
base is elaborately decorated with carvings. Sounding the
kulkul has its own language; different rhythms of hitting
the kulkul will communicate different reasons for the gathering
of the village.
- Shrines
A temple may have a number of shrines dedicated to the various
gods and goddesses. The village women will present their
offerings on these shrines.
|
