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NADI - Trance

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    NADI, TRANCE IN THE BALINESE ART

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    ART PERFORMANCE: RELIGION AND ART

    Its Sunday in the week of Wuku Medangsia according

    to the traditional Balinese calendar. The place:the inner courtyard of Petilan temple in

    Pangrebongan, Kesiman, East Denpasar. Many people

    are at prayer, both male and female sat on the

    ground. Soon they turn their attention towards the

    front row, in front of the two main buildings.

    There are the pamangkus-temple priests over there,

    some of them wearing the special costumes of Rangdawith the Rangda masks in front. Meanwhile, there

    are rows of black and white Barongs, each carried

    by two men.

    The sound of a gamelan orchestra can be heard in

    the north west corner of the temple. The music is

    getting faster and louder. Incense smoke is

    spiralling high. Suddenly loud yells are heard hereand there. The pamangkus wearing Rangda costumes

    stand up and announce loudly a few words while

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    warding off a white cloth adorned with rerajahan-

    symbols and characters. The Barongs begin jumping

    up and down as they become possessed by spirits.

    Dozens of people likewise enter trance, most of

    them men who are then restrained by their friends.

    This is the beginning of kerauhan(being entered by a spirit) and nadi.Next, a Rangdamask is put on thehead of each Pamangku who hasbeen entered by a spirit, TheRangdas soon emerge from the

    Kori Agung

    the great gate of thetemple- accompanied by Barongsand others having been entered byspirits as they stab their nakedbodies (ngerebong or ngurek) withthe traditional wavy double-bladeddaggers known locally as the keris.They all start walking around thefront and back of the wantilan in the

    western part of the temple, circling

    it three times. This procession isheld every 210 days at this templeand is accompanied by thecacophonous traditional gongorchestra. This routine procession

    describes one of the magic nadiprocesses that we are able toobserve directly. It is truly amazingthat none of these people are hurt

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    despite their repeated attempts topierce their bodies. Some stab theirchests, necks, and even their eyes.It is indeed strange that not one ofthe keris daggers causes anydamage, even though the kerisesflex as the stabbing ensues.

    The performance is a

    combination of religion and

    art because prayer is part of

    religious life, while the

    music of the gamelan

    orchestra, as well as the

    Rangda and Barong who

    occasionally dance, are forms

    of art. Since the arts and

    religion are inseparable in

    Bali, the Balinese divide

    their arts into three

    categories: Wali, Bebali and

    Balih-balihan. Waliis an art

    performance that belongs topart of a ceremony; Bebaliis

    an art performance to

    accompany a ritual ceremony;

    and finally Balih-balihan is

    an art performance for

    entertainment purposes only.

    The aforementioned kerauhan

    and nadi often occur in thefirst two categories, the

    waliand bebalidances.

    For Hindu people in Bali, the

    arts cannot be separated from

    religion. At every large-

    scale ceremony at Besakih

    temple (the mother temple),

    for example, art performances

    are de rigeur. This is even

    the case at larger ceremonies

    at village and family

    temples. In short, for

    Balinese Hindus, the arts are

    a primary need.

    There is much mystery

    surrounding the Balinese artsbecause they are considered

    the realization of Balinese

    people in the eyes of God

    Almighty and also their

    deified ancestors who

    inhabit the realm of the

    Gods. Balinese arts are

    actually derived from sacredritual cererqonies, and

    therefore every Balinese

    artist, from no matter what

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    branch of the arts, is always

    related to his or her sacred

    surroundings as the inherited

    tradition in the performing

    arts. This can be seen prior

    to an art performance, when

    an artist will pray to the

    gods for permission to

    perform. Furthermore, they

    will always find an

    auspicious day on which to

    begin an art activity.

    There are many kinds of

    mantras used for this purpose

    in the arts, one of them is :

    Om hidepku Sanghyang

    murttining lewih,

    masarirang aku, aku

    Sanghyang Semara Murtti,

    sarwa jagat asih ring

    hunyan-hunyanku, Om sidhi

    mandi mantramku, Ih I bhuta

    Kala Graha, I Bhuta

    Kapiragan, Om Sang Kala

    Edan, iki bukti sajinira,

    yan sira wus amukti,

    rowangen hulun manglilalila

    mangigel. Om siddhi mandi

    mantramku.

    (Om, my wish is for

    Sanghyang Murttining Lewih,

    to be transformed into my

    body. I am the Sanghyang

    Semara Murtti, all in the

    world love my

    entertainment. Om, may my

    charms successful. Ih,

    Bhuta Kala Graha, I Bhuta

    Kapiragan, Om Sang Kala

    Edan, please partake of my

    offerings, and when you

    have partaken of them

    please accompany me so that

    I might dance joyfully. Om,

    may my charms successful).

    This is an example of a

    prayer spoken by a dancer to

    himself before performing on

    stage. This means that a

    dancer prays to God Almighty

    for power, and even for a

    spirit to enter and to

    transmogrify him during a

    performance. The prayers are

    accompanied by offerings, the

    details of which are not

    explained here.

    In saying a prayer, a dancer

    surrenders himself to the God

    Almighty. The dancer becomes

    a manifestation of the

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    Almighty, and as such gives

    joy, entertains, and makes a

    ceremony a success. The

    artist surrenders himself to

    the Creator along with his

    artistic knowledge, because

    art is itself an offering and

    a service, or ngayah, to the

    Creator only.

    THE RIGHTS OF THE LIVINGThe Balinese Hindus do not

    only respect human rights but

    also the rights of the

    living. This is because human

    beings must respect the

    rights of others, including

    all of Gods creatures such

    as plants and animals.

    Tumpek Kandang, for example,

    is a day of respect to

    animals as the Gods

    creations, and Tumpek Bubuh

    is in respect of plants.

    Therefore, before

    slaughtering animals

    especially those being used

    for ritual ceremonies, a

    mantra shall first of all be

    whispered to them. This is

    done by priests or the master

    of ceremonies, so that the

    spirits of the slaughtered

    animals can go to a better

    place and be reincarnated

    into a higher being, human

    for example. Meanwhile for

    plants there are certain days

    on which Balinese people are

    not allowed to harvest them.

    For example, it is taboo to

    chop bamboo on a Sunday. In

    this way Balinese culture and

    tradition always refers to

    Hindu teachings.

    One day, an international

    tourist remarked to the

    Head of Bali Tourism

    Department: I feel that

    there is a big difference

    between trees growing in

    Bali compared to those

    outside Bali, and even

    more so overseas. The

    trees here are really

    alive as if they had

    souls. They even sway

    differently. The Head of

    Bali Tourism Department

    explained as follows, I

    believe that it happens

    due to the fact that every210 days we Balinese

    always pray in Tumpek

    Bubuh, paying respect to

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    plants as Gods

    creations. In the arts,

    Balinese people also have

    important days on which

    they pay respect to their

    arts. Tumpek Wayang and

    Tumpek Krulut are the

    important most days on

    which to pay respect to

    arts. Therefore, the arts

    in Bali always grow well.

    On Tumpek Krulut, Hindu

    people present offerings

    to God Almighty in for thecreation of sound. Then,

    the gamelan orchestras in

    each Banjar are given a

    ceremony. See this

    sentences taken from

    Prakempa a lontar on

    gamelan:Mwang yaning angupakara

    salwiring tatabuhan rikalawuku Krulut, ring dina

    Saniscara Kliwon,

    bebantennya, kang inarep

    sesayut pangambeyan, pras,

    panyeneng, sodan, daksina,

    blabaran, ketipat gong,

    kelanan, canang burat wangi,

    lenga wangi, pasudan,

    rantasan, kumkuman sahapanyamblehan. Mwah

    pangulapan, panegteg,

    prayascita sakeng sang wiku

    (And if (we) present

    offerings for the

    sounding sets (gamelan),

    in the wuku of Krulut,

    in Saturday Kliwon, the

    offerings cover, the

    main things are sesayut

    pangambeyan... etc)

    The Balinese calendar is a

    little bit complicated for

    foreigners. The Balinese

    has at least two calender

    systems. The first one isa calender which begins

    from the first Kasa month,

    then Karo=2, Katiga=3,

    Kapat=4, Kalima=5,

    Kanem=6, Kapitu=7,

    Kawulu=8, Kasanga=9,

    Kadasa=10, jyesta=11 and

    Sadha = the 12th. The

    First months usually falls

    in July. This calender is

    combined with the lunar

    system from which they

    have Purnamafull moon and

    Tilemthe new moon day.

    The number of the year is

    taken from the Indian

    Hindus Isaka year. Forexample the new year for

    1921 Isaka year fell in

    March 18, of 1999. And the

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    New Year of 1922 Isaka

    falls in April 4, of 2000.

    The Isaka New year falls

    the day after the Nyepi

    Silence Day, while the

    Nyepi day falls the day

    after the new moon of the

    concerned month. The

    Balinese also have a wuku

    calender. Ceremonies,

    beside being held

    according to the above

    lunar system, is also

    calculated through thiswuku system. One wuku is

    one week or seven days.

    There are 30 wukus or

    weeks along one year

    wuku calender from the

    first wuku: Sinta up to

    the 30th wuku: Watugunung,

    that means 210 days. All

    at once they also have

    wewaran from the one day

    week to the ten day week.

    Discussing the above topic

    on Tumpek, again it could

    be explained that Tumpek

    is Saturday Kliwon. Kliwon

    is the fifth day of the

    five day-week. TumpekLandep falls in the wuku

    or the week - of Landep -

    the second week of the 30

    weeks -Tumpek Bubuh falls

    in the wuku of Wariga -

    the 7th week, Tumpek

    Kuningan in the wuku of

    Kuningan - the 12th week,

    Tumpek Krulut in wuku

    Krulut -17th week, Tumpek

    Kandang in wuku Uye - the

    22th and Tumpek Wayang

    falls in the wuku of

    Wayang - the 27th week.

    On Tumpek Wayang day -

    Saturday Kliwon of Wayang

    week, which occurs every

    210 days, wayang puppets,

    and their gamelan

    orchestra accompaniment

    such as genders, as well

    as masks and other

    accoutrements, are blessed

    to thank the God for his

    creation, On Tumpek Wayangmany traditional shadow

    puppeteers come to Manik

    Dalang temple in Pemaron,

    Singaraja, North Bali.

    They ask for blessings and

    guidance from Bhatara

    Manik Dalang- the god

    enshrined at the temple

    who authorizes thePawayangan - the puppet

    shadow art They ask for

    blessings by performing

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    their traditional shadow

    plays in - turns during a

    period of one week from

    Sunday, Monday to Saturday

    Kliwon of the traditional

    Balinese Calendar along

    the so called wuku wayang

    week. Junior puppeteers in

    particular believe that in

    this temple they will get

    taksu and nadi.

    To find out about which

    days are auspicious ones,

    please look at the

    traditional Balinese

    Calendar for the year 1999

    which you will always find

    in any Balinese house.

    Throughout the month of

    June 1999 good days are on

    3,14,16,20, and 21 and for

    July, the6,7,9,15,16,18,20,25 & 29.

    These days are considered

    good days to start

    learning dancing.

    Meanwhile, July 19 is a

    good day for making Barong

    masks. The local people

    call these auspicious days

    Dewasa Ayu,

    SACRED BOOKS OF ARTS

    Besides auspicious days,

    Balinese people also have

    sacred books to guide them

    in their professions. Tobe a farmer, for example,

    the sacred book needed to

    learn ones trade is

    called Dharma Pamaculan.

    To become a priest it is

    the Weda Parikrama and

    Kusuma Dewa, etc. To

    become an artist and an

    architect, and to know

    where to erect a building,

    what type of building and

    how big to make the

    building, you need to read

    the Kosala-Kosali, Asta

    Bumi. For gamelan

    orchestra there are

    Prakempa and Aji Gurnitato be a puppeteer, you

    need to have a lot of

    taksu, and to study the

    sacred book called Dharma

    Pawayangan. These sacred

    books are written on palm

    leaf manuscripts known

    locally as lontar. In the

    Dharma Pawayangan, forexample, there is guidance

    for puppeteers, telling

    them how to behave in

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    their daily lives - when

    leaving for a puppet

    performance, for example,

    they should meditate to

    purify their minds. Then,

    they must test their

    breath by stopping one of

    their nostrils to find out

    from which nostril breath

    is being taken in. If

    based on this test the

    right nostril proves to be

    taking in more air than

    the left, then thepuppeteer shall start to

    step to the location of

    the performance from his

    house by using his right

    leg first.

    WHAT IS NADI?

    What, then, are nadi and

    kerauhan? And whats the

    relationship between

    kerauhan (entered by

    spirits) and art or art

    performance? Lets study

    the following processes of

    nadi through someexamples. But, first we

    should also knows

    literally that nadi is a

    Balinese word meaning to

    become, while kerauhan is

    another verb that means to

    be entered (by a spirit).

    Nadi starts with the

    spirit entering. However,

    nadi can also be

    associated with the level

    of an artists mastery. In

    the past, someone who

    wanted to learn dancing

    would begin by choosing a

    good day to start learning

    dancing according to theBalinese Calendar, as well

    of course as the right

    dancing teacher for him

    that matched his body and

    interest. This was decided

    by the student and the

    dancing teacher. When he

    or she could dance well, a

    self cleansing (mawinten)

    process would be performed

    so that the dancer could

    surrender his or her holy

    being both physically and

    mentally to God Almighty.

    At this juncture, a dancer

    would always pray to God

    so that he/she couldbecome a good dancer.

    Balinese people called

    this process the search

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    wearing costumes - are

    guided in front of certain

    temple shrines (palinggih)

    with offerings accompanied

    with pasepan or incense

    burning. The Sanghyang

    Dedari song is then sung

    by people following on

    behind the dancers. When

    the dancers start to move

    or cry and then dance

    after the gelungan or

    crown has been put on,

    this marks the beginningof being entered by the

    holy spirits of Dedari

    angels. This stage shows

    that they are already nadi

    and have become

    Sanghyangs. According to

    the dancers, when they

    dance and move their

    bodies so beautifully,

    they are already

    unconscious. Their dancing

    is really as good as an

    angels, even though the

    young virgins are not yet

    accomplished dancers.

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    Sanghyang dance then

    became the Cak or monkey

    dance that is currently

    often presented to

    tourists in many parts of

    Bali. This dance was

    invented by Limbak, the

    central dancer in the very

    first Cak in Bali. He said

    that the Sanghyang dance

    used was derived from that

    used at Petulu temple in

    Bedulu village, and was

    developed into the Cak

    dance entertainment by an

    expatriate artist who

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    later settled in Ubud.

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    VARIOUS EXAMPLE OF

    NADI IN THE ARTS

    The process of

    sacralizing a thing iscalled masupati, for

    example a keris, a

    pratima, sesikepan or

    a talisman. In this

    process magical

    characters or symbols

    play important roles.

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    The characters and

    symbols are locally

    known as rerajahan.

    The rerajahan is a

    kind of calligraphy.

    Every sacred thing is

    provided with such

    characters and

    symbols. If you enter

    a Balinese house, you

    will find a white

    cloth about the sizeof a handkerchief and

    covered in magic

    Balinese characters

    and symbols (ulap-

    ulap), is placed above

    the main entrance. The

    function of the ulap-

    ulap is to ensure the

    safety of all living

    within the house.

    Similar characters and

    symbols are also used

    for the kajang (cloth

    used to cover a

    corpse). And forRangdas cloth, this

    cloth is believed to

    have magic power and

    to be able to bring

    fortune or in contrary

    misfortune. Its hard

    to imagine, but if

    somebody is touched by

    the cloth as Rangda

    dances, he becomes

    powerless as if he has

    been hit by a black

    magic spell. The

    rerajahan can also be

    used to protect a

    house or to protect

    somebody if used as a

    belt talisman. Theprotective agent

    (tumbal) for a house

    shall be designed with

    ocean and powerful

    symbols. So, when a

    thief tries to steal

    anything from the

    house, he will feel as

    though he is at sea,

    and will remain as

    such until he is

    caught red-handed.

    NADI BELT

    A nadi belt hasmystical properties

    and consists of such

    rare items as a

    tigers tusk, a boars

    tusk, a lock of human

    hair, etc. These

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    things are often nadi,

    so that anybody using

    the things bearing

    mystical properties

    can transform into

    other beings according

    to the belts

    characteristics, In

    the 1960s a public

    service officer in

    Denpasar went home

    together with hisfriends after watching

    a movie in Denpasar.

    His house was in

    Busung Yeh, so they

    had to go through

    Badung graveyard - the

    biggest graveyard in

    Bali - to get home.

    But at that time such

    a journey was scary,

    not like nowadays.

    The unmarried officer

    stopped for a while in

    the middle of the

    graveyard, as he andhis friend were

    walking to the west

    and chatting. He took

    the belt and put it

    on. He felt that there

    was something strange,

    but he kept insisting

    on putting it on.

    Finally he shouted to

    his friends who had

    left him far behind:

    Hey, wait for me. I

    found a belt, He was

    so surprised to see

    his friends running

    after he shouted. He

    then was really scared

    and running as fast ashe could to catch his

    friends. He noticed

    that his friends were

    running faster and

    faster, and then he

    realized this might be

    because of the belt

    that he was wearing.

    Then he stopped, took

    it off and threw the

    belt away as far as he

    could. He continued

    running towards his

    friends who had

    gathered in thevillage hall. Then,

    his friends told him

    that he was shouting

    loudly like a goat:

    mbeeeeek, mbeeeeee,

    eeeeeek eeeeeekkk.

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    Later, he realized

    that he had been

    transformed into a

    goat. Thats why his

    friends ran away from

    him. In fact the belt

    had already been nadi,

    and had been thrown

    away by black magic

    practitioner who was

    ngereh to practice

    the power to becomeleak black magic

    figure. Many such

    stories still

    circulate.

    In the Calonarang

    performance, there is

    something very specialknown as inviting a

    leak. A Rangda dancer

    from Bangli who often

    stars as Rangda in

    Calonarang stories,

    says that inviting

    leak is a very

    frightening moment foran audience. This part

    of the show is

    actually rarely

    performed nowadays

    particularly in

    cities, but before in

    almost every

    Calonarang

    performance, leaks

    will be invited, both

    in villages as well as

    in cities, When Rangda

    invites leak, you will

    see fire balls flying

    around, especially

    above trees. Audiences

    become very frightened

    during theperformance. Moreover,

    when they are on their

    way home, they tend to

    walk in groups, and

    ladies will always be

    accompanied by

    gentlemen. Dancers who

    invite leak are often

    unconscious and are as

    if possessed.

    There are countless

    examples of nadi. In

    conclusion, the

    relationship between

    performance and nadi(or being entered by

    spirits) is a

    reciprocal one. A

    dancer influenced by,

    or even entered by a

    spirit, means that the

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    dancing has taksu and

    has been well done or

    nadi. Anybody watching

    the dancing will be

    amazed by what he or

    she sees. Besides the

    person being entered

    by a spirit, he also

    proceeds to dance

    exceedingly well. A

    professional dancer

    cannot begin toimitate the movements

    of one thus possessed.

    An example is the

    Sanghyang Dedari

    dancers who move their

    bodies in such a

    beautiful way after

    being entered by

    spirits. In a normally

    cognate state, there

    is no way they will be

    able to, or even want

    to dance like this.

    NADI IN OTHER KINDS OFART

    Of course this is not

    to say that other arts

    dont have any

    relationship with the

    performing arts. Take

    chant, for example, or

    kidung kakawin, a

    special form of song

    used in many parts of

    Bali to invite the

    Bhatara to descend.

    Also Kekawin Wahirat,

    a Kalengengan type

    chanting is heard in

    certain villages in

    North Bali, is a very

    effective way tonedunang or to invite

    the Ida Bhatara to

    descend from heaven On

    hearing the

    specifically

    melancholic strain

    sung by a pamangku,

    sutri or other

    prakangges, the

    tapakan Ida Bhatara

    will be entered by

    spirits very quickly

    (kerauhan or

    kalinggihan). The

    atmosphere it createsis highly emotive,

    leading people to

    become dizzy and to

    surrender themselves

    completely to God.

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    Another story tells

    how Ida Bhatara to

    descend- thus to enter

    someone called the

    tapakan often asks

    for certain melody of

    gamelan such as the

    special geganjuran.

    When this music is

    heard coming from a

    temple -anybody knows

    that somebody mostcertainly become

    possessed. The Ida

    Bhatara will not be

    satisfied, though,

    until this certain

    kind of music is

    played. And sometime

    the Bhatara will ask

    at times for the

    papendetan music or

    him or her to dance.

    In other places such

    as in Tenganan,

    Karangasem regency,

    East Bali, a certain

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    kind of music is de

    rigeur, a kind that

    again has a

    melancholic air, and

    which is the

    accompaniment to

    Mageret Pandan, a

    ceremony performed

    during a certain month

    in the Bali Aga

    village.

    In painting, there are

    people who, only when

    they are entered by

    spirits can they

    paint. Otherwise there

    are those who begin to

    paint, and then enter

    trance. This isunusual, but it can

    happen. However in the

    larger temples most

    anybody can be entered

    by a spirit, and the

    spirits may ask for a

    parba or painting with

    a certain theme, to beput in a certain place

    within the temple,

    such as in the Piasan

    hall, the Murdha hall,

    or some other such

    place. Otherwise the

    Ida Bhatara spirits

    might enter somebody

    to ask for a certain

    palawat or statue.

    After being cleansed

    and a pasupati

    ceremony having been

    performed, the statues

    are put into position,

    Some statues can even

    bring fortune rain for

    example. At thebeginning of this

    century there was long

    dry season in a

    notoriously arid area,

    where the local

    community asked for

    rain in a certain

    temple, just as their

    ancestors would. A

    statue was put into

    the seawater nearby,

    and not long

    afterwards there were

    clouds to be seen in

    the sky, followed bydrizzle, and finally

    heavy rain. Most

    amazing is the way the

    water vapors were

    derived from the

    slogging statue. It

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    was strange indeed and

    defies logic, but it

    happened. This means

    that the statue

    brought fortune and

    had already been nadi.

    A similar happening

    was in Jembrana, at

    the Bali Arts Festival

    1999, when a group of

    Wayang Wong from

    Jembrana said thattheir tualen (servant)

    mask in the shows

    brought rain whenever

    they are soaked in

    water, Guess what kind

    of weather they had

    that day at the

    festival. Thus is the

    relationship between

    nadi and being entered

    by spirits in painting

    and statue making.

    THE SACRALIZATION

    PROCESS LEADING TO

    TAKSUAND NADl

    The art performancesthat are parts of

    ritual ceremonies are

    often called Wali

    dancing (wali meaning

    offering or ceremony)

    because the dances are

    always performed in a

    ritual ceremony and

    they are considered as

    sacred. Amongst the

    dances classified as

    wali are Rejang,

    Sanghyang, Pendet,

    Baris Gede, Sidha

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    Karya mask dance, and

    Wayang Lemah.

    These performances are

    considered sacred,including all of the

    equipments used to

    perform them, these

    being also treated as

    sacred things. As such

    they need to go

    through a series of

    complicated ritual

    ceremonies. These are

    called masupati, the

    aim of which is to

    give spirit or magical

    power to a thing so

    that it has taksu.

    Certain of thesesacred things will be

    treated very carefully

    indeed - even deified.

    To recap, then,

    masupati is a

    sacralization process

    for any sacred thing -including art objects,

    in order to add taksu

    to the object itself.

    For example the

    gelungan (crown) used

    by a dancer shall be

    pasupati-ed so that

    the dancer can attract

    a bigger and more

    appreciative audience.

    Among the things that

    can be classed as

    sacred, there are

    keris daggers and

    other weapons, for

    which a pasupati

    ceremony is always

    performed every Tumpek

    Landep day - Saturday

    Kliwon in Landep week

    according to the

    Balinese calendar (or

    once every 210 days).

    Every respected family

    in Bali has its ownsacred keris called

    pajenengan, as well as

    a lingga the symbol

    of the ancestral gods

    Bhataras such as

    pratima andpralingga,

    mask, or dancers

    crown, and a belt thatcan protect the user

    from being hurt, or a

    talisman to protect a

    person from pangleakan

    (black magic) etc. The

    reason for using these

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    things is to make a

    person powerful and

    invulnerable to magic.

    In the past masupati

    wasperformed based on

    a spiritual need and a

    request made by a

    person who wanted to

    make a thing sacred.

    There are specific

    mantra that must be

    spoken at a Pasupaticeremony by the leader

    of the ceremony-

    namely a priest or a

    certain authorized

    figure. These charm

    is also considered

    sacred and are not

    allowed to be said by

    any body in any place.

    Pasupati is actually

    derived from one of

    the names of Shiva.

    Pasupati is also a

    powerful arrow given

    to Arjuna by Shiva in

    the Arjuna Wiwaha

    story By saying the

    pasupati prayer or by

    conducting the

    masupati ceremony, it

    is expected that thesecan bring fortune.

    Om Pasupati Bajra

    Rudrayam, Agni raksasa

    rupayam Purwa muka

    desayam, Hyang Iswara

    Dewayam, Sarwa satru

    winasanam is anextract of a pasupati

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    verse, and there are

    still other Pasupati

    charm varieties. The

    charm enunciates one

    by one the 9 weapons,

    9 Gods, 9 colours from

    the 9 wind directions.

    In the East there is

    the Bajra, white, with

    Iswara; in the South

    East is Dupa, pink

    with Mahaeswara; inthe South is red, Gada

    with Brahma; in the

    South West, orange,

    Mosala with Rudra; in

    the West Mahadewa

    holds a Nagapasa with

    yellow as its colour;

    in the North West

    Sangkara holds a green

    Angkus, in the North

    Wisnu carries a black

    Cakra; in the North

    East Sambu has a blue

    Trisula, and in the

    middle is Shivaholding a colourful

    Padma.

    The Pasupati ceremony

    is performed

    differently according

    to place, time and

    conditions, as well as

    the particular

    believes of the local

    community. There are

    simple and complicated

    ceremonies, depending

    on the level of

    ceremony, and the

    thing being pasupati-

    ed. If the ceremony is

    only for a gelungan

    (crown) and otherdancing costume

    accoutrements, the

    pasupati ceremony will

    be a simple one.

    However, if the

    pasupati ceremony is

    to sacralize a Rangda

    or a Barong, the

    ceremony will be more

    complicated and

    unique, and it will

    attract the attention

    of all members of the

    community.

    In the art of maskmaking, all masks can

    be given a pasupati

    ceremony. However,

    there is one mask that

    needs a special

    pasupati ceremony: the

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    Dalem Sidhakarya mask.

    The masks appearance

    with its fang-like,

    protruding teeth, is

    very frightening. This

    mask is the final mask

    presented at a Wali

    Sidhakarya mask

    performance. Balinese

    Hindus believe that

    the function of the

    Sidhakarya mask is tolead a ceremony and to

    make a ceremony

    successful. Sidha

    means to succeed and

    karya to work. During

    the climax of a large-

    scale ceremony such as

    the Pancawali Krama,

    in March 1999, wali

    dances were performed

    including Rejang,

    Baris Tombak, and

    other baris dances:

    Wayang Lemah and

    Sidhakarya, as priestswere praying over the

    offerings. Without a

    mask dance, some

    community members

    consider that the

    ceremony is

    incomplete. Some even

    consider that a

    ceremony is not

    complete without a

    Sidhakarya mask

    performance. In the

    Balinese dancing

    encyclopedia, the

    Sidhakarya mask is

    considered the most

    important because it

    symbolizes the WisnuMurti.

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    In puppet shows, all

    puppets used for a

    performance are given

    a pasupati ceremony

    The leather puppets

    that need a special

    pasupati ceremony are

    the Sanghyang Shiva,

    Tualen, Tirtha and

    Kayonan figures. These

    puppets are given

    special treatment

    because of their

    function, namely to

    ask for tirtha (holy

    water). The Shiva

    puppet figure for

    example is considered

    to be Shiva by the

    Mangku Dalang

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    (puppeteer) when he

    asks for holy water.