Botanical park preserves Bali's ceremonial plants<\/p>\n
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Bedugul, Bali<\/p>\n
A narrow concrete pathway took us deeper into the
\nwoods where lofty trees embraced one another, forming
\na green archway that filtered the glare of the
\nafternoon sun.<\/p>\n
The soft moss that blanketed most of the tree trunks made the
\nwoods look like a thick line of velvety pillars.<\/p>\n
At a quick glance, this patch of woods was no different
\nto the larger forest that surrounded it. But further
\ninspection revealed that it housed special plants.<\/p>\n
Next to the pathway were two young frangipani (Michelia
\nchampaca) trees while in the corner, amid a heap of dry
\nleaves, were a pandanus tree, a pucuk shrub
\n(Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) and a tall betel palm, all of
\nwhich are commonly used in Balinese Hindu
\nofferings and rituals.<\/p>\n
Nestling inside the spacious, 157.5-hectare Eka Karya
\nBotanical Park in Bedugul, some 60 kilometers north of
\nDenpasar, the woods are the pride of the park.<\/p>\n
\"The woods house a collection of Balinese Hindu
\nceremonial plants that we have been meticulously
\ncollecting and nurturing for years. Needless to say,
\nit is the only one of its kind in the country,\"
\nspokesperson Wayan Mudarsa said.<\/p>\n
He recalled that the idea of building a special
\ncollection of ceremonial plants was first conceived in
\n1997 by then head of the botanical park Ida Bagus
\nKomang Arsana.<\/p>\n
\"The reason was quite simple. Other parks already had their
\nsignature collections so Pak Arsana thought that Eka Karya should
\nalso try to establish its own,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For instance, Bogor Botanical Park prizes its cactus
\ncollection while the park at Cibodas boasts a
\nrhododendron and eucalyptus collection, and Purwodadi
\na banana collection.<\/p>\n
In 1998, a two-hectare plot of land next to the
\nancient Batu Meringgit temple was set aside for the
\nspecial collection while the park staff searched the island for
\nrare, ceremonial plants.<\/p>\n
\"We consulted books and interviewed numerous high
\npriests and tukang banten (experts on making offerings) to
\nidentify the ceremonial plants and their habitat,\"
\nMudarsa recalled.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, traditional communities on the island
\nenthusiastically supported the initiative by donating
\nplants to the park.<\/p>\n
\"However, for certain rare plants we still had to
\nsearch far-flung corners of the island,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For instance, to find majegau (Dysoxylum parasiticum),
\na plant from the kayu dewa (tree of the Gods) category, according
\nto the ancient treatise, Taru
\nPremana (The Power of The Trees), park staff
\nspent many days exploring the rough terrain of the
\nwoods around the traditional Bali Aga village of
\nTenganan in eastern Bali.<\/p>\n
Its faint fragrance makes majegau an ideal material for an
\neffigy or shrine.<\/p>\n
\"Majegau is undoubtedly the collection's most prized
\nand rarest acquisition,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Now, thanks to the park's expert gardeners, there are
\nhundreds of majegau trees adorning its lush landscape.<\/p>\n
The park has also started a program of donating
\nmajegau trees to the neighboring traditional
\nvillage, Desa Pekraman.<\/p>\n
Currently, this special collection houses at least 130
\nspecies of ceremonial plants. The collection now totals 580
\nplants. They are divided into five major groups in accordance
\nwith Balinese Hindu ceremonies which have five different forms of
\nYadnya (offerings or sacrifices).<\/p>\n
Yadnya are grouped into Dewa, Rsi, Pitra, Manusa and Bhuta --
\nrespectively, the offerings made to the gods, sages, ancestors,
\nman and the forces of nature.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1959, Eka Karya Botanical Park currently
\nhouses a total of 14,686 plants of 2,090 different
\nspecies. In addition to its ceremonial plant
\ncollection, the park also boasts a massive orchid
\ncollection of 2,991 plants of 204 species.<\/p>",
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