About West Bali

With Tumpek Wayang falling on Saturday Kliwon wuku wayang, on Friday Wage wuku Wayang or a day before Tumpek Wayang, maseselat ritual will be performed, which is the ritual consisting of pandan wong berduri (Pandanus sp.div) and laluun pabuan (allspices as the betel spot) as the main medium. It’s also completed with coconut shells containing adem (spittle and betel residue). Pandan wong leaf will be painted with the image of tampak dara, which the blessed symbol. The meaning of maseselat ritual is to plead for kerahayuan (welfare) and kedirgayusaan (long life) for related relatives members, in order to be free from disruption of Bhatara Kala, which is purportedly on Friday Wage wuku wayang will take it’s victims according to the gift from God Siva and Goddess Uma.

In Lontar Kalatattwa, it’s said that Dewa Kala, who was born from a wrong kama (birth), will be avowed as the son of God Siva and Goddess Uma after agreeing to cut two of his tusks and four of his upper incisors. This, then become one of the doctrine lessons of tattwa and nyasa of mepandes (the ceremony of tooth cutting) for Hindus in Bali. The approval of Goddess Uma to Dewa Kala is that Dewa Kala will be allowed to prey the children who are born exactly on Tumpek Wayang that is also as the weton (birthday in Balinese date) of Dewa Kala.

Still in Lontar Kalatattwa, it declared that the son of God Siva and Goddess Uma, which is Dewa Rare Kumara (Dewa Kala’s brother) who was also born on Tumpek Wayang, the same birthday with Dewa Kala. Then, Dewa Kala also pleads to God Siva and Goddess Uma to eat Dewa Rare Kumara because he was born on Tumpek Wayang. However, God Siva and Goddess Uma defer it, because Dewa Rare Kumara is still babyish and needs to be protected and secured, later after he has grown up, it allowed for him to be the victim.

After Dewa Rare Kumara had grown up, Dewa Kala keeps shove for God Siva and Goddess Uma’s permission to eat him. God Siva cursed Dewa Rare Kumara for keeping the child and destined as Dewataning Rare to protect and secure babies, and positioned on Kumara settling in the baby’s bedroom after cutting it’s umbilical cord. Next, on this kumara will be offered with canang yasa, kakiping biyu mas and Dewa Rare Kumara’s gift to protect the baby to sequentially have a long life.

Seemly, Dewa Kala cannot be fooled, and he keeps chasing Dewa Rare Kumara everywhere he hides. On pursuing him, Dewa Kala cursed many of Dewa Rare Kumala’s hide outs. For example, cursing the women kind who lay unwashed cormorant after cooking, cursing the coconut tree so it will not always be straight because it’s hiding Dewa Kala’s victim. On his curse, it said that all humankind that are less orderly in finishing their works will become the victims of Dewa Kala.

On escaping, Dewa Rare Kumara is almost caught. Auspiciously, Dewa Rare Kumara arrived at Sang Amengku Dalang’s place that were staging a shadow puppet show as the completeness ritual of Mapetik. Dewa Rare Kumara then hides in pelawah gender wayang (gender is the set of music instrument in shadow puppet playing) so Dewa Kala cannot find him. On Dewa Kala’s arrival at this place, he is confused because he cannot find Dewa Rare Kumara who has suddenly vanished. Because of his hunger and thirst, then Dewa Kala eats the offerings of people who performed the mapetik ritual.

One of juru gender (shadow puppet music player) saw Dewa Kala while eating the offerings, and he reports to Sang Amangku Dalang. Then, Sang Amangku Dalang addressed Dewa Kala in order that he willingly to return what he had eaten. With regret Dewa Kala said that he cannot return the offerings, but he will replace it with gifts.

The first gift that was asked by Sang Amangku Dalang is stop to pursue, and not to eat Dewa Rare Kumara, so he will able to keep and protect babies that are settled on kumara.

Dewa Kala then accepts it, and he bestows another gift for Sang Amangku Dalang, which is able to perform ngalukat ritual (purification ceremony) for corpses, including the pregnant women on dauh kama salah during wuku wayang. The most important gift is that Sang Amangku Dalang may ngaruwat for someone who is born on Tumpek Wayang by performing Sapuleger shadow puppet playing (Mpu Leger), so the babies that are born on Tumpek Wayang will not becomes Dewa Kala’s victims.

That was the doctrine of attwa and nyasa of Wayang Sapu Leger playing in Lontar Kalatattawa. Especially for women who are pregnant, should plead for pengelukatan (purification ritual) in Wuku Wayang so their babies will safe and be protected. If there are no priests in the village, it is allowed pleading for pengelukatan to Sang Amangku Dalang, or pleading for tirta wayang to Ki Dalang or Jro Dalang