A Place of Communal
Order
The Balinese village is a closely knit network of social, religious
and economic institutions to which every Balinese belongs. Most
Balinese live in villages, yet even those who now reside and work
in cities like Denpasar still identify with and actively participate
in organizations in the village of their birth.
Spatial organization
Spatial orientation plays an eminent role in all things Balinese.
The most important points of reference are kaja ("upstream"
or "toward the mountain") and kelod ("downstream"
or 11 seawards"), although kangin (east), kauh (west) and
the intermediary compass points are of almost equal importance.
Note that kaja in south Bali lies to the north, whereas in north
Bali, on the other side of the mountains, it refers to a southerly
direction.
At the heart of every traditional Balinese village (desa adat)
is the so-called kahyangan tiga - the three core village temples
that are physically located in close accordance with this system
of orientation. Thus the Pura puseh ("temple of origin")
lies nearest the mountains, the Pura bale agung ("temple
of the great meeting hall") lies in the center of the village,
and the Pura dalem (temple of the not-yet-purified deceased and
of magically charged and potentially dangerous forces) lies to
the seaward side of the village.
Clustered around the Pura desa, generally between the Pura Puseh
and the Pura dalem, lie the residential quarters of the village,
known as banjar (sometimes translated as "hamlets" but
actually comprising distinctive neighborhoods within the village).
These are usually referred to as "eastern," "western"
and "central," but are often named according to the
dominant profession or caste of their residents. Thus, we find
banjar pande where smiths live, and banjar brahmana where members
of the brahmana caste predominate.
Each banjar has its own meeting hall (bale baniar), which is the
secular counter part of the bale agung temple. These bale banjar
are the social centers of the community, often now equipped with
ping-pong tables and TV sets and surrounded by small portable
food stalls in the late afternoon.
Each banjar is surrounded by rice fields and gardens. The outer
boundaries of the village are usually clearly marked by hedges,
valleys, streams, forests and the like. There are many local and
regional variations in village layout determined by local topography,
population density, and so on, but there is a common pattern.
The family compound
In stark contrast to the open social and religious spaces of the
village, the family living quarters are enclosed and private.
House compounds are surrounded by a wall and from the outside
nothing much can be seen.
|
