Unique house of Dewa free from influences of 'asta kosali'
Unique house of Dewa free from influences of 'asta kosali'
DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Dewa Nyoman Kuat lives in a unique house
with a distinguished architectural style on a street in busy
Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali.
Unlike other Balinese homes, the layout of Dewa's two-story
house located on Jl. Antasura does not adapt any asta kosali
Balinese architectural guidances.
He has built a high pillar at the center of the building and
put a cakra, the mythical weapon of Vishnu, the highest god in
the Hindu pantheon, on the top of the pillar. The house is
surrounded with a pond filled with turtles. Dewa has also adorned
his house with numerous stone sculptures and frescoes.
For a few months now, people have been flocking to his house
to attend a spiritual gathering every month, usually on its 28th
day.
Dewa, who used to live in Klungkung, and his congregation
perform a series of rituals different from mainstream Hindu
rites. Instead of lavish offerings comprising of food, fresh
fruits and flowers, Dewa requires his followers to bring tumpeng
kuat, a cone of yellow steamed rice decorated with three candles,
as the main offering.
He could not describe the origin of this ritual. "I received
pawasik (a spiritual revelation) from Ida Sang Hyang Embang a few
years ago while riding a motorcycle," recalled the father of
three.
Since then, Dewa has had supernatural power with a proven
potential to heal various illnesses. He often gives advice to
people with daily problems.
Some of his neighbors have objected to Dewa's unusual
spiritual activities and reported them to the village chief.
The chief consulted with higher-rank government officials and
a special team, called Tim Pakem, which monitors the activities
of Bali's diverse religious sects and mystical groups.
The team's evaluation, led by chief of Denpasar' provincial
court Wayan Pasek Suarta, concluded that Dewa's rituals were
against Hinduism. The team also recommended the government
provide spiritual guidance to Dewa.
The team's decision has sparked controversy among Hindus.
Dewa, however, is unmoved by the team's decision: "I am just
implementing the message from Hyang Embang.
Ritual
Some Hindu leaders have also questioned the validity of the
team's evaluation of Dewa's ritual activities.
The respected Ibu Gedong Bagoes Oka from the Ashram Gandhi
Vidyapith was one of the first people to strongly reject the
team's intervention into spiritual activities in Bali.
Even the Parishada Hindu Dharma Indonesia, the country's
highest Hindu council, has no right to determine what is right or
wrong and which beliefs should be adopted. Because the Vedhanta
teaches us to become free human beings with freedom of choice,
she said.
"Human beings are free to find their own ways to seek their
God. As long as their activities disturb other people, I really
don't mind," she said.
Dr. Wayang Jendra from Sai Studi Denpasar also disputed the
criteria applied by the team to determine "proper" and "improper"
rituals.
"We should disband the Tim Pakem, whose work is no longer
relevant to the current situation," Putu Alit Bagiasna, head of
the Hindu Youth Organization, said.
According to the island's cultural history and anthropology,
differing spiritual and supernatural activities have long existed
in Balinese society. There are thousands of Balian, (shamanic),
preachers living in Bali who seek the blessing of gods believed
to inhabit certain sacred places. The names of the gods they call
are probably pre-Hindu in origin because they sound unfamiliar.
In cultural terms, these spiritual activities, considered
religious deviations by more traditional Hindu priests and
bureaucrats, have enriched cultural and religious life on Bali.
Many peculiar things have happened on Bali. Six years ago, a
young man in Gianyar claimed he was Kalki Awatara, a
reincarnation of Vishnu. The man, originally named Wayan Artha,
told everybody in Gianyar that he had got married on the sacred
Gunung Agung mountain witnessed by goddesses from Heaven.
He insisted he had received very strong supernatural powers
that could be used to help people. Dozens of people became
faithful followers and yet his activities were left unchecked by
the religious team, which should have banned him from continuing
his "illegal" rituals and shamanic practices.
In Sanggulan village in Tabanan, people knew a powerful shaman
who frequently carried out "surgery" on sick people. After an
operation, he would swallow a can of Baygon insecticide. Normally
in this instance a man would instantly die or fall seriously ill.
This, however, was of the more uncommon cases on Bali.
For many people on Bali, the government-created Tim Pakem
should be reviewed. Its existence is a clear reflection of the
government's over-sensitivity and anxiety over the diversity and
differences occurring in society.