Have you ever wondered why some of the traditional houses in Bali are propped up on stilts? To some extent, this is for practical reasons, to keep out insects and pests, and to prevent flooding.<\/p>\n
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However, there are also symbolic reasons to it. Bali, like much of\u00a0 South East Asia believes in the three cosmic dimensions of heaven, earth and hell. This is symbolized in architecture, where roofs and rafters represent the upper realm, the main house the middle realm, and the area beneath the house as the underworld. Gods live in the upper heavenly realms, humans in the middle and demons in the underworld.<\/p>\n
For peace to prevail, there must be balance between the three realms. When the balance tilts to favor the depths of the watery underworld, cleansing must be performed to avert disaster.<\/p>\n
Eka Dasa Rudra<\/strong> is a monumental and highly sacred ceremony held every 100 years to place the demonic spirit of Rudra. Eka Dadsa Rudra means ‘Eleven Rudras’, to express the omnipresence of the god of danger and wildness. The ceremony has to take place on a year with 2 zeros, although imminent natural disaster or threat to Bali may allow it to be carried forward. The last record of Eka Dasa Rudra being held was on 28 March 1979, Saka year 1900.<\/p>\n Preparations for Eka Dasa Rudra are elaborate and tedious, even more so when there is no living soul on Bali who witnessed the last Eka Dasa Rudra. Instructions to prepare for the ritual was based on writings in ancient lontar-palm manuscripts. The entire Bali population was mobilized to prepare for this elaborate ceremony. Offerings were prepared in thousands of temples all over the island and carried in processions down to the sea, lasting up to three days. There, symbolic washing of the effigies is performed. Rituals and chanting accompanies this, as well as traditional dancing, most notably, the Baris war dance.<\/p>\n Up to 50 Buffaloes are sacrificed to placate the gods. The buffaloes have their horns encased in gold, and are laden with precious goods. A heavy stone is then tied to its neck and it is forced into the sea and drowned.<\/p>\n Some may dismiss Was it a mere coincidence, or were there other dark forces behind it? No one can know for sure, but we sure hope Bali doesn’t take its chances…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
this as mere superstition, but it seems that trivializing this sacred ceremony may have disastrous consequences for Bali. During the Sukarno years, President Sukarno urged Balinese priests to hold the festival before its proper time. Preparations were underway in 1963, when Bali met with disaster. The first ever recorded eruption of Gunung Agung was a deadly event which killed about 2000 people.<\/p>\n