Marking traditional loyalties<\/p>\n
I Wayan Juniartha, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
Hundreds of Balinese women walked solemnly along the waterline in
\na long procession.<\/p>\n
Their traditional white and yellow garments created a stunning
\npanorama against the natural backdrop of the deep blue ocean and
\nsky. It was a majestic sight that awed many Westerners who had
\nflocked to the island's prime tourist beach at Kuta that morning.<\/p>\n
On their heads the women carried beautifully decorated puspa
\nlingga, effigies of their respective ancestors' souls.<\/p>\n
At the tail of the procession, hundreds of men shouldered a
\nbukur, an eleven-tiered, pagoda-like structure. Five puspa lingga
\nwere placed on the top of the bukur. The effigies belonged to the
\nnoble family of Puri Agung Jro Kuta, the chief sponsor and
\norganizer of the ritual.<\/p>\n
After 500 meters, the procession ended in front of the Segara
\nTemple, a sacred place of worship dedicated to Waruna, the Lord
\nof the Ocean.<\/p>\n
Later on, Hindu high priest Ida Pedanda Gede Putra Telabah
\ncommenced the nganyut ritual, aimed at surrendering the souls
\ninto the caring hand of Waruna.<\/p>\n
The ritual reached a climax when most of the participants
\ncarried their respective puspa lingga to the ocean and threw them
\ninto the watery embrace of the waves. Some devotees hired several
\njukung (traditional boats with outriggers) to transport the puspa
\nlingga a few hundred meters offshore before hurling them into
\nthe calm sea.<\/p>\n
Elaborate ceremony<\/p>\n
The nganyut ritual was one of the highlights of the Karya
\nPenileman Baligia Punggel ceremony, known simply as baligia, held
\nrecently by the Puri Agung Jro Kuta family, traditional rulers of
\nan area currently known as Panti, Gerenceng, Belong, Balun, Dukuh
\nTangkas and Tagtag, in the western part of Denpasar.<\/p>\n
The elaborate ceremony required months of preparation and
\ncomprised at least 20 different rituals involving five high
\npriests and thousands of participants.<\/p>\n
The ceremony commenced on June 1, when selected members of the
\nhouse of Jro Kuta made a pilgrimage to several major temples in
\nBali to present pejati offerings, seeking the blessing of the
\nisland's deities for the success of the ceremony.<\/p>\n
The following day, a high priest officiated at nyukat karang
\nand bumi suddha rituals in the spacious outer yard of Jro Kuta
\npalace. These were aimed at consecrating the designated ground,
\nwhere most of the rituals would take place.<\/p>\n
Ever since that day, thousands of people worked day and night
\nin and around the palace for each step of the ceremony.<\/p>\n
Function of 'baligia'<\/p>\n
The baligia was held to release the soul from the subtler
\nbonds of thoughts, memories, emotional attachments and, most
\nimportantly, delusions on the existence of self.<\/p>\n
\"Balinese Hinduism embodies a series of post-death rituals
\ncarried out solely for the purpose of liberating the soul from a
\nvariety of worldly bonds that will hamper its spiritual journey,\"
\nHindu scholar I Ketut Wiana said.<\/p>\n
One of the rituals, the well-known ngaben, releases the soul
\nfrom the bonds of panca maha bhuta (five natural elements of
\nearth, water, fire, wind and ether) by cremating the deceased's
\ncorporeal body.<\/p>\n
Ngaben elevates the status of the soul from Preta to
\nPitara.<\/p>\n
\"The ngaben, however, does not release the soul from the finer
\nbond of immaterial emotions, such as feelings of love and
\nattachment the soul's possessor still has toward its children or
\nrelatives,\" Wiana said.<\/p>\n
In baligia, the finer bonds and the body are represented by
\nthe puspa lingga, constructed by the family using a selection of
\nmaterials, such as the leaves of beringin (Ficus bengalensis) and
\nselasih (Ocimum bacilicum) flowers, yellow bamboo and small
\npieces of sandalwood, and golden plates. The puspa lingga is
\ndecorated with fresh, gold-colored flowers and jewelry.<\/p>\n
Before dawn on July 12, all the puspa lingga were cremated in
\nthe prelina ritual in the palace's outer yard. The ashes were
\nfinely ground before being placed inside a specially prepared
\ncoconut shell engraved with sacred Onkara lettering.<\/p>\n
A new puspa lingga was constructed, with the coconut shell as
\nthe basic element. It was this puspa that was later released into
\nthe ocean.<\/p>\n
Two days later, the participating families made a nyegara-
\ngunung pilgrimage to extend their gratitude to the island's
\nspiritual rulers, which had bestowed their blessings and offered
\nprotection for the ceremony.<\/p>\n
Upon returning home, each of the families constructed another
\npuspa lingga. At midnight precisely on July 14, the puspa was
\ncremated at the family temple and the ash was later buried next
\nto the rong tiga, the ancestors' shrine.<\/p>\n
\"By that time, the soul has been elevated into the semi-god
\nstatus of Dewa Pitara,\" Wiana said.<\/p>\n
Traditional loyalty<\/p>\n
A baligia is generally more complicated and expensive to hold
\nthan a ngaben. That is why a large majority of Balinese families
\nopted for ngiring, a kind of mass-baligia, with the noble family
\nas chief organizer and financial backer.<\/p>\n
\"The baligia was held for 138 souls, of which only five are
\nsameton agung (close relatives) of Jro Kuta, including our
\nrespected elder, Anak Agung Ayu Ketut Mugluk, who passed away six
\nmonths ago,\" leader of the noble house I Gusti Ngurah Jaka
\nPratidnya said.<\/p>\n
The rest were sameton paman (distant relatives), pekandelan
\n(descendants of the elite palace guards), wargi (descendants of
\npalace officials and vassals) and braya (descendants of palace
\nsubjects).<\/p>\n
A contribution of Rp 2.5 million was required from each
\nparticipating family to cover the costs of the ceremony.<\/p>\n
\"However, that is not essential. Many less well-off families
\nhave taken part in the ceremony without having to provide any
\nfinancial contribution. It is an obligation of the puri to assist
\nthem,\" Jaka Pratidnya stressed.<\/p>\n
Puri Agung Jro Kuta allocated a staggering Rp 600 million to
\nfinance the entire ceremony.<\/p>\n
\"That is nothing compared with the energy put in by thousands
\nof people to ensure the ceremony is a success. I'm deeply touched
\nthat even in modern times they still display such devoted loyalty
\nto this noble house,\" he said.<\/p>",
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