Supernatural power guard new statue

Supernatural power guard new statue

By Tri Vivi Suryani

JIMBARAN, Bali (JP): A giant Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue and cultural park on top of Ungasan Hill in Jimbaran will soon become a new landmark and tourist destination in Bali.

The site, along with its 400-ton statue that symbolizes the god of Vishnu as the guard of the nature and life, is now under construction and is intended to become a cultural melting pot where local and international arts will be widely promoted and preserved. Under the plan, the site will have, among other things, a 700-seat amphitheater.

Apart from the statue and its cultural park, the site and its surrounding area are also known for their supernatural folklore.

On the east side of the statue, there is a small well containing holy water, locally called thirtha.

The well, known as Cubing, was found long before the statue was built.

The emergence of this bottomless well surprised people, considering that Jimbaran was a barren and rocky hill. The area has been famous as one of the driest places in Bali.

The local people believed that the well was a gift from God and therefore it could only be used for religious purposes such as ngaben (a cremation ritual).

Mangku Wayan Bokor, pemangku (low priest) in Ungasan, said that water from the well had long been used to cure various illnesses. Many times, he said, people poured the water on to their head or body to ward off an evil influence.

The Balinese still believe in tangible and intangible worlds. People, according to them, may get physically and spiritually sick because somebody has "sent" them invisible spirits to disturb them physically and mentally.

Mangku described his own "experiences" with the well.

Recently, when the well was flooded, the 50-year-old priest was unable to make daily offerings and later that night, he had a nightmare with numerous wongs samars (demons) visible in his dream.

In another experience, the priest saw shadows of a group of female dancers who elegantly swayed their bodies under the moonlight. Mangku said that these "women" spiritually inhabited and guarded the place.

And one day, he also saw the statue disappear.

At that time the weather was so bright with no cloud or mists that usually blanket Ungasan hill. Suddenly, he could not see the statue at all.

"Believe it or not, it had become invisible ... It was like a dream but it was really true," he claimed.

Local residents also found several old Chinese coins known as pis inside the well. However, despite the absence of security guards, nobody has dared to take the coins.

Mangku said that all the stories were closely related to an ancient legend about the journey of Dhang Hyang Niratha, who is believed to be the ancestor of the island's Brahmana high priest families.

The priest came from Java and started making a long and difficult journey over Bali, helping the needy and curing sick people on his way. Upon his arrival at Ungasan Hill, the priest took a break. When he put his stick in the ground, suddenly water came out of the rock.

True or not, the story will certainly attract more tourists.