Pura Dalem Puri, a stairway to heaven

Pura Dalem Puri, a stairway to heaven

Jagadhita, Contributor, Denpasar

Have you ever heard the screams of tortured souls? If you want to
hear them, come to Pura Dalem Puri, a temple located in
Karangasem, about 80 kilometers east of Denpasar.

It is believed the souls of sinful people are tormented here
before they reach nirvana. This holy place at the foot of Mount
Agung is situated on the way to Pura Besakih, one of the
important temples in Bali. Pura Dalem Puri is where people come
for self-reflection. Many may have violated religious commands.

Balinese Hindus believe that before dead people enter heaven,
they are taken to Pura Dalem Puri. In this temple, the souls of
people who have committed bad deeds during their life are
tortured.

It is believed inside the temple there is a crater called
Candra Goh, a bridge called Ugal-agil and a square called Tegal
Penangsaran where a Curiga tree with kris (or knife) leaves
grows. Murderers, drug traffickers and other criminals are
believed to be tortured in this place.

Some of them are tied up to the tree while the kris leaves
pierce their bodies. Others are thrown into the crater, which is
full of molten copper.

However, Balinese Hindus believe the dead can escape the
torture in Pura Dalem Puri if their bodies are burned during the
ngaben ritual. After this cremation, the ashes are thrown into
the sea with a prayer the soul will go to nirvana. The process
continues with a ritual called pengastian carried out in the
house of the dead person. During this ritual, the soul of the
dead person is symbolized by a piece of kayu cendana
(sandalwood). The wood is later thrown into the sea, accompanied
by a prayer to the God of the Sea and the God of the Mountain in
a ritual called Nyegara Gunung. When this process is over, the
dead person is believed to have passed through the sea to the
mountain. The mountain is Mount Agung and the location is the
Pura Dalem Puri.

If the family of the dead person conducts all of these
rituals, their soul will not be tortured in Pura Dalem Puri and
the family will not hear any screams from the temple.

One day, when he passed Pura Dalem Puri on his way to Pura
Besakih, Gede Astawa, a resident from Negara, heard his late
grandfather crying.

He stopped and tried to find the source of the noise. In the
ensuing silence he felt the hair on the back of his neck rising.
Astawa, who earlier did not believe the horrible stories about
Pura Dalem Puri, became a believer and determined to hold a
ngaben ritual for his late grandfather. When the old man had
died, Astawa and his family had buried the body instead of
holding the cremation because of financial constraints.

Astawa, a small-scale trader, says since he held the ngaben
ritual for his grandfather he never hears his soul crying when he
passes Pura Dalem Puri. He also feels gratitude because since the
ritual, he has had a profitable business.

A Balinese Hindu figure, I Ketut Wiana, says Pura Dalem Puri
cannot be separated from Pura Besakih. The two temples represent
the universe, which consists of two parts, saptaloka (heaven) and
saptapetala (hell).

Pura Dalem Puri, he says, is a unique temple. It is secluded
and is enveloped in a magical atmosphere. This is in accordance
with its function as a stairway to heaven.

"The souls should pass the examinations and temptations in the
temple compound before they become clean of sin. Because in order
to enter heaven or pura besakih, one must be free of cuntaka
(dirt)," Wiana says.

If people make offerings for their ancestors or hold ngaben
rituals for them, this will help them cope with any difficulties
in their lives, including economic problems.

"If they don't hold the ngaben ritual, they will face many
problems in their lives."

Wiana also suggested people pray in Pura Dalem Puri for the
souls of their ancestors so that they could find peace. "If they
are peaceful, their offspring will be prosperous," he said.