Balinese Hindus cleanse bombing site
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali
The whole area of Kuta Square Arcade, one of the sites targeted by terrorists in the Oct. 1 Bali bombings, was transformed into a sacred space on Sunday, when hundreds of Balinese Hindus held a ceremony to purify the site.
The Tawur Balik Sumpah ceremony started at around 10 a.m. amid tight security arrangements, under which all guests and participants were required to pass through metal detectors before entering the site.
Over 100 uniformed and plainclothes security officers guarded the area and its vicinity. Moreover, a bomb containment vehicle was stationed next to the ceremony's main entry point.
Scores of high-ranking government and security officials, including Badung Regent Anak Agung Gede Agung and Denpasar Police chief Sr. Com. Dewa Made Parsana, attended the ceremony along with leaders of Kuta's traditional communities.
The ritual's inner sanctum was located in the middle of the two-way lane that ran across the shopping complex. It lay just a few meters south of the noodle and steak restaurant Raja's, where a suicide bomber and dozens of guests were killed in the blast on the night of Oct. 1.
The inner sanctum consisted of the tall bamboo shrines of Sanggar Surya to the east, a low rectangular ground enclosure, where most of the colorful offerings were placed, in the middle and the elevated open pavilion of Bale Pawedan to the west.
Three officiating Hindu high priests -- Ida Pedanda Putra Bajing of Lebah, Ida Pedanda Bodha of Celuk and Ida Rsi Bujangga of Sempidi -- were sitting on the pavilion, chanting sacred mantras and directing scores of Pemangku (temple priests) through each step of the ritual.
The ceremony began with an offering of aesthetic beauty, comprising sacred performing arts of Prembon dance drama, Sidhakarya masked dance and Wayang Lemah puppet theater. However, it was the sacred dance of Rejang Dewa, performed by dozens of beautiful little girls, that drew the most attention.
Through slow, simple moves and gestures, these girls were an exquisite example of the Balinese's aesthetic devotion to their gods.
Tawur Balik Sumpah is basically a sacrificial ritual of appeasement. The primary offering was made of various animals, including three bulls, four goats, scores of chickens and ducks and sea turtles.
"It aims at appeasing the destructive natural forces and elements. The ritual will also restore the spiritual balance and harmony of this place and its people. The Balinese believe that violent incidents, particularly bloody ones, would disrupt such harmony, resulting in various adverse consequences in the future," said Bendesa (chief) of the traditional customary village of Kuta, Anak Agung Ketut Sudira.
After the presentation of offerings to the presiding gods, goddesses and natural forces, the Balinese Hindus and dozens of westerners, who attended the ritual, clasped their hands and prayed together for a better, peaceful future for their village and the island.
"Lets hope that the ritual will strengthen our body and soul to face every future challenge with perseverance and without betraying our calm and peaceful nature," local community leader Bagiana Karang said.
The ceremony reached its final stage in the ritual of Mapekelem, during which scores of sacrificial animals were drowned at sea at the nearby Kuta beach as an offering to the spirits of the sea.
A similar ceremony will also take place early in November at two other bombing sites in Jimbaran village.