'Mepajar' ritual aims to banish bad spirits

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

The dancer knelt down and bent his head backward; the tall Barong Landung puppet atop his head gazing into the sky.

Then, gradually, chilling verses in ancient Kawi and Balinese flowed from his lips. It was a song of unbearable fear.

"Look at the sky in the east, in the south, west and north. A strange glow of reddish light lights up the sky. O it is so terrifying, O it is so menacing as if foretelling the demise of our kingdom, the end of our lives," the dancer sung.

The glowing light he talked about was the army of darkness, black magic practitioners, who had answered Dirah's call, flying in fiery rage toward Midarsa's capital.

Their magic weapons drawn, they were ready to avenge the wrath of their queen, Dirah, who had been banished by the king, a feeble ruler who was mortified to learn that his second wife had pursued the path of black magic.

In Midarsa, prime minister Sudharsana, his heart trembling in fear, summoned the help of the gods, asking for assistance from every white magic practitioner in the kingdom.

The king himself had been confined to his bed by a mysterious illness caused by Dirah's poison.

"Those who listen to my anguish, listen clearly, now is the time for you to show your love for this country. When darkness has fallen upon the throne of this kingdom, rise up o my fellow soldiers, be brave and be merciless for we are born for this day, when our blood will purify the earth and our soul shall fly to the sky, let us fight!" Sudharsana commanded.

Then, the dancer, who played Sudharsana, let out a battle cry before entering into a deep trance and storming onto the main stage trying to attack Dirah.

The dancer, who played Dirah, also fell into trance and angrily challenged Sudharsana into a decisive battle before violently running toward the spectators.

Soon, dozens of traditional security guards, temple priests and the spectators jumped into the arena and chased the witch.

It was the climax everybody had expected.

The haunting performance was presented during the Mepajar ritual held on Tuesday night at Pekambingan village in downtown Denpasar.

Bali's renowned dancer and choreographer I Wayan Dibia PhD, who was sitting cross-legged among the Pekambingan villagers, pointed out that the performance was based on Sudharsana, an 18th century Balinese version of the Calon Arang story.

Calon Arang depicts the battle between East Java's King Airlangga against the witch queen Walu Nateng Dirah. Meanwhile, Sudharsana portrays the Sudharsana's battle to defend his country against Dirah, his king's former second wife, who was also an adept practitioner of black magic.

"Mepajar is unique because it both sacred and profane at the same time," Dibia noted.

The performance is sacred because it involves the sacred properties of the temple, including the Barong Landung, the tall puppets believed to represent the legendary ancient Balinese King Jayakesunu and his Chinese queen, and the mask of the Ratu Ayu, the powerful feminine deity believed to be the representation of Goddess Durga and the main spiritual protector of the village.

"The performance also takes place at the village's main crossroad, a place believed by the Balinese to possess great supernatural energy, a gateway to other realms," Dibia explained.

However, during the performance, the Barong Landung played the role of Sudharsana's trusted yet low-caste aides while Ratu Ayu played King Midarsa's evil queen. That fact, along with the high degree of improvisation, including jokes with sexual innuendoes by the pregina, the male dancers, who animated the sacred puppets and mask, was a clear sign that the performance had its profane side too.

That night's performance was no different. At one point, the dancers gyrated in an effort to imitate Indonesian dangdut singer Inul Daratista.

"During Mepajar, the Sesuhunan (gods and deities) perform before their subjects to extend their blessings and protection to the village. It is also a chance for the Sesuhunan to advise the villagers on various religious and moral matters, including the basic tenets of Satyam (truth), Siwam (purity) and Sundaram (beauty). In Bali, art is the beauty through which we achieve truth and purity," Hindu scholar I Ketut Wiana explained.