Wayang Kulit Performance.

Introduction

The film The Year of Living Dangerously, set in Indonesia in 1965, opens with a Wayang Kulit performance. President Sukarno himself described 1965 as the year of living dangerously. The excellent novel by Christopher J. Koch has a vivid description of a performance and the theme runs through the story. These ancient, magical performances are very atmospheric and seem to symbolise Indonesia. Many say that Indonesian politics can only be understood in terms of the Wayang Kulit.

Wayang Kulit performances are sacred and form part of many ceremonies in village and family temples. Usually they accompany temple anniversaries and rites of passage ceremonies, such as baby ceremonies, tooth-filings, weddings and cremations. The performances have three functions in Balinese society: they are instructive, entertaining and religious. Wayang Kulit has profoundly affected the other Balinese arts.

The performances bring together visual art, vocal and instrumental music, drama, literature and dance. The puppeteer has to be expert in all these arts.

Origin

The shadow theatre exists, or has existed, in the lands between Turkey and China. Many think that Indonesian shadow puppet performances originated in India and that they came to Bali from Java between the 11th and 14th centuries. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Wayang Kulit has been Bali’s cinema for centuries, but it is primarily a sacred matter. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The first person to describe a Balinese Wayang Kulit performance was Chinkah, a Siamese master of a junk, which landed in Bali in 1846. The king of Klungkung gave a performance for him.

Two types of performance

There are two types:

The night wayang: wayang peteng

The most common occurrence of the night wayang is during a temple anniversary or odalan. Sometimes they are put on as thanks for a prayer coming true or during the celebration of a wedding or birth.

The day wayang: wayang lemah

The day wayang is the most revered of form of theatre in Bali. It is performed for the gods and is regarded as an offering.

Three types of stories

Three types of wayang stories have become popular in Bali:

Wayang Parwa

This depicts stories from the Mahabarata.

Wayang Ramayana

This tells stories of Rama.

Wayang Colon Arang

This tells the story of Rangda the witch.

Puppeteer

The puppeteer, dalang, and his puppets are treated with great respect. Indeed the dalang is a kind of priest and before a performance says prayers to bring the puppets to life. He can make holy water. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

He plays all the characters, in different voices, and controls the gamelan by tapping his foot on his wooden box. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The most famous dalangs come from the village of Sukawati in south Bali. There are half a dozen families, all related, who pass the gift down from generation to generation. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The stage 

The audience is separated from the cross-legged dalang by a large white cloth (kelir), about 6 feet in length, bordered in black at the top and bottom and with red squares at the side. Behind the cloth are the dalang, a flickering, hanging coconut-oil lamp (damar) casting fluttering shadows on the sheet, the puppets of flat leather and the dalang’s two assistants (tututan), who sit on either side of him and hand him the puppets. The puppets are all placed in a yellow-green banana log (gedebong), at the base of the screen, ready for action.

The dalang’s puppet box is on his left. The filigree patterns of the puppets show up on the screen when held up against the oil lamp. Heroic figures are on the right and evil figures on the left

Behind the screen is a four or more piece gamelan, the Gender Wayang. It is the most demanding of all gamelans. It is quite an experience to go behind the screen and see how it is all done, but the better experience is to watch the performance. They take place at night and go on for hours.

The stories

The performances are the most literary and sophisticated of the Balinese performing arts. The stories are taken from the Hindu epics, the Mahabarata, the Ramayana and Prince Panji, with much improvisation, sometimes about politics. Jokes are told. Battle scenes are played out.

The dalang speaks in Kawi, which few understand. For the benefit of the audience, four clowns, also played by the dalang, translate and comment on the stories in Balinese. The clowns are the most important characters. In the Mahabarata stories they are Tualen and his son Mendah, servants of the Pandawas, and Delem and Sangut, servants of the Korawas. They are Sudras and have the most individuality of all the characters.

The story is finished in one sitting – unlike in Java, where it can last for several days. The plots usually start and end in the palace and take the viewer to the village and the forest. The village represents civilization, so that dialogues take place in the civilized world of the village, the court, the temple and the home. Battles are fought in the forest, a place where the hero also goes to meditate and make contact with unseen forces.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The puppets

A standard collection comprises about 100 puppets, which are made of cowhide with a tapering buffalo horn or wooden handle. The handle ends in a point and is stuck into the banana stem, which lies at the base of the screen. Each puppet is chiselled, coloured and has a conventional headdress, which provides for instant recognition. They are kept in a wooden chest in a prescribed order: those on top are ritually the most important. The scenic one, the Kakayonan, is the uppermost figure, followed by the Supreme god, Tunggal. Ogres are on the bottom.

The figures are not naturalistic. They have disproportionately long necks, very long arms, and toes that are not in the correct position. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

A special puppet, called the Kayonan, in the shape of a tree, the tree of life, is waved by the dalang to indicate the start of the story. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

It is used to indicate scene changes and the end of the performance. It can also be used to represent a forest, the sea, bathing places, wind, rain, fire or a palace during the performance. More generally it may represent the five elements that make up the universe: air, wind, fire, water and earth.

Puppet-making

The art of puppet-making is passed down from one generation to the next. Apprenticeship takes between two and five years. The puppet-maker will carry out a ceremony to Wisnu and Siwa before he starts and will place an offering daily on a small shrine. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The puppets are painted using five basic colours: white, red, yellow, black and blue. White is made from animal bones, black from soot and yellow from stones found on Serangan Island in the south coast of Bali. Gold leaf, prada, is used for the Kakayonan and the costumes of the Ksatriya characters. The head is painted first.

The head, torso and legs are one piece. The arms are separate and attached to the shoulders, so that they can move by means of rods tied to the puppets’ hands. They are all dressed, except for the Supreme god.

Life

The puppets represent life. They comprise celestial, human and demonic beings. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

There are not very many Brahman puppets. There are many more Ksatriyas. The visual similarity between the ruling kings and the gods is marked. They often wear the same headdress. This may well have derived from the fact that there was something divine in kingship, especially in Bali and Java in the 10th and 11th centuries.

Some of the puppets can be used for several characters. Major characters would not double up in this way, unless they were linked by a common heritage.

Body colours

The body colours represent symbolically major ideas and values in Balinese society. The colours are the five basic colours: white, red, yellow, black and blue, and a mixture of them. See the chapter entitled Balinese Symbolism in Secrets of Bali for the meanings associated with different colours.

Noble characters have light body colours, flat teeth and slit eyes; whereas coarse ones, like the ogres, are red or brown, have bulbous eyes and pointed teeth.

The music

There are always four gamelan instruments, which comprise the gender or xylophone, the rebab or two-stringed violin, the drum and the gong.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Music accompanies the placing of the puppets in the banana log, announces entrances, supports the dialogue, creates a benevolent atmosphere, and adds excitement to dramatic scenes.

Dalang’s preparations

As he sets off for a performance, the dalang will stop at his gate and feels his hair knot. If it pulsates to the right, he puts his right foot forward. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

It has already been mentioned that the dalang prays before the performance. He prays for protection from witches and evil spirits, for the gods to descend and enter him and the puppets, and for the audience to enjoy the performance. He sprinkles holy water and makes offerings to ensure that the stage is a pure area.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The play

During the play the puppets are placed in the banana log. The main characters, the good characters, are placed on and enter the stage from the dalang’s right. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The dalang sets the scene and describes the action. He speaks the parts. He needs to know the personalities of the various wayang characters and speak in an appropriate tone.

The most exacting part of the play is the fight against the giants, which usually takes place about 1 am or 2 am. It is the most difficult job for the dalang and is a test of his skill. Energetic tapping of the puppet box by the hammer held between the toes of his right foot always accompanies battle scenes.

After the performance the dalang recites a mantra to bring the puppets back to life symbolically.

Hand gestures

Puppets have stylized hand gestures. These are similar to the hand gestures of the priests, mudras, although priests use both hands whereas puppets only use one hand. See the article entitled Balinese Symbolism.

Symbolism

The music, stage and equipment symbolize the macrocosm. The clean white cloth screen symbolizes the sky. The cloth separates us from the real world of the gods. The puppets symbolize all that exists. The banana log is the earth. The oil lamp, which gives life and energy, represents the sun and the dalang is God. The music symbolizes the harmony of the cosmos and the puppets’ movements harmonize with the music.

The dalang wears headgear, waistcloth and dress, which represent heaven, earth and the underworld. He joins all three together during a performance.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The stage details are also symbolic. The stage is orientated to the propitious mountainward, kaja, direction, or to the east. The cloth has nine holes at the top, which represents nawa-sanga, the Balinese mandala. The lamp is lit with three bundles of wicks, reprsenting the Trinity (trisakti), the gods Siwa (or Iswara), Brahma and Wisnu. The cloth is also red, white and black. See the chapter entitled Balinese Symbolism in Secrets of Bali.

Tumpek Wayang 

As mentioned in the chapter entitled Balinese Calendars  in Secrets of Bali every 210 days is a day called Tumpek Wayang. It is also Kajeng-Keliwon, and special for Wayang Kulit shadow puppets, which are taken out and given offerings by the dalang. It also happens to be very unlucky to be born on that day. Such a child is prone to illness and injury from Kala, the demon god.

To cure the baby an elaborate ceremony called sudamala is carried out by a dalang after a night or day wayang. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The day wayang: wayang lemah

This version of the shadow play is only performed during the day. Lemah means daylight. It is only for the gods and is a religious rite. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

It is a quiet performance, hardly audible to human beings. There is little or no conflict. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Two musicians playing large metallophones, gender pemgumbang, provide the music. The music is less rich in tone and colour than the night wayang.

The stories deal with moral and spiritual themes and always relates to the particular ceremony or occasion. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Conclusion

There may be no strict connection, but one cannot help remembering Plato’s famous allegory of the Prisoners in the Cave in the Republic. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

There are performances in Ubud.

The post Wayang Kulit – Shadow Puppet Performances appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Introduction

It is often said that there are more temples per square mile in Bali than anywhere else in the world and this could well be true. There are hundreds of thousands of them, many more than the number of 20,000 that is often cited. Swellengrebel in his Bali: Studies in Life, Thought and Ritual, 1960, mentioned that figure.

There are family temples, village temples, royal temples, rice temples, mountain temples, river temples, water temples, market temples, temples to particular gods or goddesses and so on and so on. The key point is that each temple represents, and has a congregation of, a particular social unit. In that temple offerings will be made on a regular basis to the gods that are linked to and concerned with their affairs. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Great gods are worshipped in great temples and lesser gods are worshipped in local temples. The Sea God, for example, has relevance for more than one community and so is not be worshipped in a mere local temple.

The temple will have a shrine to the principal deity, but possibly also smaller shrine to other deities that are connected in some way. So, for example, the principal deity in a market temple is Maya Sih, who is the mistress of illusions. But there will also be smaller shrines to Dewi Sri, the Rice goddess. Rice is sold in markets and markets are therefore important to the Rice goddess. This has the effect of linking market temples to rice temples

Other places can become holy. Trees can become holy. Rocks can become holy. Places holding a holy object engender respect, as do the dwelling places of spirits, and become holy.

Pura means temple. (Puri means palace, the place where royal families live). Balinese only visit those temples that have a social relevance for them. There are some temples, however, that have relevance for everyone.

State temples: Sad-Kahyangan 

There are six state temples, all ancient historical sites, in which all Balinese have an interest, as they protect the entire island and the Balinese people as a whole. They are called the Sad-Kahyangan or Six Great Temples.

Different regions mention different temples, but most commentators describe them as:

Pura Besakih

the Mother Temple, which is the most important temple in Bali and is the spiritual and religious centre of the universe, where Brahma, Wisnu and Siwa are worshipped, as well as many kings and princes of the past, who have become divine ancestors. See the chapterent itled Famous Balinese Temples in Secrets of Bali for a detailed description of the temple.

Pura Uluwatu

which sits on a cliff in the most southern tip of Bali and is also described in the chapter entitled Famous Balinese Temples in Secrets of Bali..

Pura Goa Lawah

the bat cave temple, near Kusamba on the coast.

Pura Lempuyang Luhur

in the Karangasem district in East Bali.

Pura Batukau

on the slope of Batukau mountain in the Tabanan district, which is said to be the oldest temple in Bali, because Siwa sent seven of his children from Mount Semeru in Java to the sacred places in Bali and the gods arrived at Batukau first as they were coming from the west.

Pura Pulaki

the second largest temple in Bali, in the Singaraja district in North Bali.

The stake that every Balinese has in these six great temples reinforces the notion of the oneness of Balinese civilization and that despite the so-called caste system that the Balinese people are one.

Village temples: Kahyangan Tiga 

There are the following three temples in nearly every village. They are called the Kahyangan Tiga, the Three Great Temples, and are said to have been initiated by Empu Kuturan, the legendary Javanese priest in the 11th century:

Pura Puseh

in the mountainward kaja area devoted to the founders of the village and dedicated to Wisnu, god of water, called the Origin or Navel Temple.

Pura Desa

in the centre of the village, at the village courtyard or main crossroads, devoted to the affairs of the village, men in other words, where the banjar meets and dedicated to Brahma.

Pura Dalem

in the seaward kelod area, devoted to the souls of the dead but not yet cremated, and dedicated to Siwa or his wife, Durga, called the Death or the Underworld Temple.

All members of the village, regardless of caste or status, may visit the village temples. A wantilan or meeting hall for cockfights is usually very near the Pura Desa and a huge sacred banyan tree often shades the area.

Kahyangan is an elevated word for temple, meaning place of the gods, and indicates a summing-up of an entire social order, be it the state or the village. Pura is the ordinary word for temple. The individual temples are, however, called Pura so and so.

Functional temples

Then there are functional temples. The irrigation societies, subaks, have temples, the farmers have temples, the merchants have temples, and the fishermen have temples and so on.

Temple anniversaries

Each temple, private or public, has an anniversary celebration, usually every Balinese year, which is every 210 days. These odalans are major events, usually with music and dancing. A few temples fix their odalans by reference to the lunar calendar and then they take place either at full moon, Purnama, or new moon, Tilem. Most odalans last three days.

Public temples layout

As mentioned in the chapter entitled Everything comes in 3s in Secrets of Bali., temples are divided into three sections. Gates divide the sections.

Between the furthest, holiest part and the middle part is a gate called the Kori Agung, on top of which is usually a carving of a bulbous head, called a Bhoma, who protects the inner sanctum.

In front is a free standing wall called the Aling Aling, which is to prevent evil spirits entering, evil spirits being able only to walk in straight lines. Private houses usually have Aling Aling too.

Between the middle section and the outer section of the temple is usually the famous Balinese split gate, called a candi bentar, which some believe symbolizes Mount Meru, the world mountain.

Structures within temples

Drum: Kulkul

Public temples have a hollow log, a kulkul, with a hammer hanging beside it, used to call the villagers to ceremonies or to warn them of disasters, like fires or emergencies or the discovery of a thief. The double sounding of the kulkul followed by a rapid striking means that there has been a robbery. It is usually in the corner of the middle part of the temple in a special pavilion or bale.

Empty seats: Padmasana

Padmasanas, the empty seats or thrones described in the chapter entitled Balinese Symbolism in Secrets of Bali, are found in public and family temples. They may also be outside in particular places.

They are regarded as the throne of Siwa. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Literally it means lotus seat. The base is Bedawang Nala, the turtle that supports the world with the two snakes. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Phallus: Lingga

Linggas are oblong rocks, rounded at the top, which represent Siwa’s phallus. Thanks to it, he established his superiority over Brahma and Wisnu. They are found in temples and sacred spots. Several are in the Elephant Cave in Bedulu near Ubud.

Pagodas: Merus

There is a beautiful meru in Campuan Temple, opposite Murni’s Warung. They are expensive to build, but very spectacular. These shrines are symbolic of the mythical world mountain, Mount Meru at the centre of the world, which is the home of the gods. Merus are likewise the homes of the gods when they visit during temple ceremonies. They descend to the temple down the open shaft, which is the centre of the meru.

Merus have an uneven number of tiers, one to eleven… Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

You can also tell the rank of a temple by the height of its merus. You cannot tell by the style of architecture. There are eleven-storied merus at Besakih and Mount Batur Temples, the two most important temples in Bali.

The height of the merus in family temples indicates the family’s caste. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Family group temples 

Each large family group or clan has its own temple, the Pura Dadia, where family members pray to the founders of the family. Dadias are explained in the chapter entitled Names, Titles and Castes in Secrets of Bali..

Private family temples 

Every Balinese does belong to a family temple and they need constant attention.

Family temples vary. Some shrines, however, are obligatory. The temple is always surrounded by a wall and built in the sacred northeast, kaja-kangin, corner of the family compound. In it will be shrines, about ten feet tall on chest-high carved plinths, mostly devoted to deified family ancestors. Offerings are usually placed there daily and always on important days.

There is always a roofed shrine in the family temple with three compartments devoted to Brahma (on the right), Wisnu (on the left) and Siwa (in the centre). It is called the Sanggah Kemulan, sometimes also the Shrine of Origin. It is a holy place and the central place of worship.

A Balinese origin story is that God created man as follows:

Brahma formed the bones, flesh, nerves and body temperature.
Wisnu formed the blood, marrow, fat, glands and body fluids.
Siwa formed the breath, the link between body and soul.

There is always a roofed shrine called taksu on the kaja north side devoted to the god of one’s art or profession. A performer of a particular art form, be it shadow puppets, acting, music or singing, will make offerings at this shrine for as long as the person performs. Great performances are said to have taksu.

There will be a high throne-like altar in the auspicious northeast corner called a padmasana. It is orientated towards Mount Agung. If a member of the family cannot attend a particular temple ceremony, he will pray at this shrine instead.

There is also always a roofed single compartment shrine in the family compound, but not in the family temple, the Sanggah Pengijeng, whose spirit protects the property. It usually stands in the centre of the compound.

Kitchens and wells always have small shrines, often high up out of the way, devoted to Brahma, god of fire, and Wisnu, god of water.

Balinese Holy Men and Women 

There are many kinds of respected ritual practitioners in Bali. The most common are:

Pemangkus: local priests.
Pedandas: high priests.
Balians: mediums.
Sengguhu: exorcists.
Dalang: puppeteers.

Pemangkus: local priests

The common Sudra priests, pemangkus, have direct day-to-day charge of their temples, their affairs and their maintenance. They dress in white from head to toe, say prayers, invite the deities to attend ceremonies and sprinkle holy water over offerings and those who are praying. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Pedandas: high priests 

The other kinds of priest are Brahman high priests, pedandas, who are well educated and versed in the holy books. They dress splendidly in black and white, wear mitres and carry out major ceremonies. They chant holy mantras, ring bells, waft incense and make elaborate symbolic hand gestures. They are more involved with families than with temples.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

In pre-colonial times there was a close symbiotic relationship with the rulers. Priests largely manned the royal courts. No priest could be consecrated without permission of the local ruler. No local ruler could be legitimately installed except by a priest.

Only a priest can directly address the gods in order to sanctify water. The pedandas enter into daily contact with Siwa, unifying their souls with his, and thereby make holy water. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Holy water can also be gathered from certain holy springs and lakes, but only that made by pedandas has sufficient power for certain, especially royal, ceremonies.

Their income is restricted to the consecration and sale of holy water, tirta, but they are allowed to accept gifts. Manual labour is denied them. They are the only group in Bali subject to dietary restrictions: Read more about it in Secrets of Bali. They meditate daily in their houses, called geria.

In earlier times they advised and prayed for royal families and strengthened the ruler spiritually. They settled disputes and were exempted from taxes.

Part of the ceremony of becoming a pedanda involves his symbolic death. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Being unified with Siwa also means that there will no longer be a series of rebirths. For this reason the multiple roofs representing the heavens do not appear above the lotus seat of the pedanda.

There is a small number of Buddhist pedanda (pedanda boda), who take part in some ceremonies. They largely differ in their ritual practices.

Balians: mediums 

There is another category of person, the balian or medium, who is consulted in case of illness. Balians cure illnesses arising from supernatural causes. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali. It is estimated that there are about 2,500 different types of balian.

They base their knowledge on different sources, for example, palm leaf manuscripts, trance messages from the gods, ancestors or spirits, divine gifts like a piece of cloth, jewel or kris, Some specialize in divination, midwifery, abortions (now illegal), massage, preparing corpses for cremation, casting harmful spells or handing out charms.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

In the south and southwest of Bali the father or grandfather of a new baby visits a balian several days after the birth. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Sengguhu: exorcists

These priests specialize in exorcism.

Dalang: puppeteers

The shadow puppeteers are also priests. See the chapter entitled Wayang Kulit – shadow puppet performances in Secrets of Bali.

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