Pan Balang Tamak, Bali's best-known legend

Pan Balang Tamak, Bali's best-known legend

Tri Vivi Suryani, Contributor, Denpasar

He was funny, witty and canny. He is one of the most famous
characters from Balinese folklore. He is Pan Balang Tamak.

There is no precise information on the existence of Pan Balang
Tamak. No one knows whether he was a real or fictional figure.

By word of mouth, his story has been passed on from generation
to generation and is still doing the rounds today.

The story of this famous man is believed to have become
popular during the heyday of the Balinese kingdoms. It was a
favored bedtime story for children at the time. The story of Pan
Balang Tamak is actually a never-ending tale.

For many Balinese people, Pan Balang Tamak is a smart man who
stands as a symbol of the oppressed. He is said to have been the
voice of the commoner when the Balinese were ruled by an absolute
monarchy.

Some have immortalized him by building shrines at several
places across Bali.

There are temples named after him in Nongan and Rendang
villages in Karang Asem, East Bali, and other regencies.

The famous story centers on the life of the middle-aged Pan
Balang Tamak and his wife Men Balang Tamak. The couple was very
rich but people in the village excluded them from all social
activities.

Despite his wealth, Pan Balang Tamak never did anything good
for his fellow villagers. He was very clever at cheating people.

One day, Kelian Banjar, the village chief, ordered the
villagers, including Pan Balang Tamak, to begin renovating the
Bale Kulkul, a building that acted as the centerpiece of the
village.

The people were told to go to the nearby forest to collect
wood and other building materials. The chief ordered all members
of the village to begin work before sunrise, right after their
chickens had left their roosts. Any latecomers would be fined.

The next morning, all the male villagers except Pan Balang
Tamak went to the forest at dawn and began collecting wood.

Returning from the forest at noon, the villagers met Pan
Balang Tamak, who looked at them innocently. The village chief
was furious and planned to make him pay a large fine.

But Pan Balang Tamak was ready with an answer. "You told me
that we had to go to the forest after our chickens came down from
their roosts," he said confidently.

"My chickens left their roosts just a few minutes ago and
that's why I'm heading for the forest now," he said. The chief
could do nothing but rub his face in despair when he heard Pan
Balang Tamak's argument, which was logically correct.

A week later, the villagers were instructed to go hunting in
the forest. Each man was ordered to bring along a strong and
fierce dog that could bark and climb trees. Anyone who brought a
small, weak dog would once again face a fine. Ignoring this
instruction, Pan Balang Tamak appeared with a small, skinny dog.
The villagers assumed that he would surely have to pay a fine
this time.

Never short of ideas and tricks, Pan Balang Tamak went hunting
with his old dog. Arriving in the forest, he threw his dog up
into a tall tree. The dog was in pain and barked loudly.

Pan Balang Tamak was happy and called out to his friends,
shouting, "Look at my dog. It is very brave and is able to catch
a deer, even though the animal finally managed to escape."

The villagers became very angry and went home straight away
with sour expressions on their faces.

Unable to trap Pan Balang Tamak, the villagers reported the
case to Dewa Agung Klungkung, the king of Klungkung kingdom.
Hearing the report, the king was furious and immediately ordered
his servant to poison Pan Balang Tamak.

Pan Balang Tamak knew he would be finished soon. He knew that
he had been poisoned. He asked his wife to follow his
instructions while he awaited death. Pan Balang Tamak died while
eating his final meal. His wife dressed his body in a white robe
and placed it against a pillar of their bale (open building). She
also untied her husband's hair and spread it over his shoulders,
like a holy man did when praying. Above his head, she hung a cage
filled with bees.

The villagers were very curious and went to Pan Balang Tamak's
house to make sure that he had in fact died. But they were
startled to find that the man sitting up and chanting a mantra
(which was actually the sound of the bees) was Pan Balang Tamak.
They ran to the palace and reported it to the king. Curious, the
king wondered whether the poison had been strong enough to kill
Pan Balang Tamak. He then swallowed the poison himself and died.

The relationship between the folk tale and the establishment
of Pan Balang Tamak shrines remains unclear. Many people
differentiate between Pan Balang Tamak as he is presented in the
folk tale and his depiction on the shrines. They were not the
same person.

Low Hindu priest Mangku Pande Made Tastra, a spiritual leader
from Nongan village, explained that the establishment of shrines
dedicated to Pan Balang Tamak would suggest that he had in fact
existed.

"We can trace some of his roots in Nongan village," the Mangku
(low priest) said. People in the village are still arguing
whether a spacious house done in a rich Balinese architectural
style actually belonged to the famous folk hero.

Pan Balang Tamak is also thought to have left behind numerous
gold bars and coins. Believe it or not, he is now regarded as
half deity and half holy man.