'Mepajar' ritual aims to banish bad spirits

'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.