The Island of a Thousand Temples (6)
Developing Brotherhood in the Ancestral Temple

Pura Kawitan (Ancestral Temple) functions mainly as a site of worship to Sanghyang Atma, the ancestral holy spirit. This kind of temple belongs to its builder and his nuclear family as well as the larger circle of relatives or clan.

Every courtyard within a Balinese Hindu’s family home has a site for worshipping ancestors which is known as the Sanggah or Merajan Kamula. ’The Sanggah or Merakan Kamulan, as stipulated in the ‘Siwagama’ manuscript, stands always at the upper part of the courtyard.‘Kamulan’ etymologically means religious brotherly association of nuclear families. In other words, the Hindu religion has become the basis of harmonious or brotherly relationship, both horizontally (towards the internal community of nuclear families and the natural environment) and vertically (toward Sanghyang Atma). The Hindu religion does not only stress the importance of the relationship between man and God, but also the relationship between man and the ecological environment.(See article “Tri Hita Karana and Bali’s Tourism”). If man lives in harmony with his environment, this reflects a harmonious relationship with God.
The number ancestral temples a clan needs depends on its size. If a community has ten or more nuclear families with individual family compounds, it has to establish an additional place of common worship called Merajan Ibu Pertiwi or Merajan Agung. If there are 20 courtyards or more, another temple is required, known as Pura Ibu (‘Mother Temple’) or Pura Batur. Worship in the Pura Ibu or ‘Pura Batur’ is directed to the ancestral sacred spirit of Sanghyang Atma. They are not to be confused with Kintamani’s ‘Pura Batur’, one of the ‘Kahyangan Jagat’ temples. If the family expands to live in 40 compounds another place of worship is needed. This is called ‘Pura Dadia’ or ‘Pura Panti’. Finally, all members of one clan have a place for common worship named Pura Pedharman or Pura Kawitan.
If the nuclear family lives in one compound, there is no need to build Merajan Ibu Pertiwi or ‘Pura Batur’. One Merajan Kamulan is sufficient for all members of the family living within the same compound.
All of the common places for ancestral worship belong to Pura Kawitan, as stipulated by the Seminar on the United Interpretation of Aspects of Hindu Religion, 1980. This interpretation was accepted by the Central Indonesian PHDI ‘Parisada Hindu Dharma’ during its Mahasabha national congress. The seminar followed research by an expert team from the Hindu Dharma Institute.
Some authorities have said that Balinese Hindus should have a Padharman but such a belief is not true. Padharman houses Dewa Pitara (sacred ancestors), but this relates only to communities living during the past kingdom period.
During the past period of kingdoms, the kings permitted certain community members to establish a ‘Padharman’, generally within in the environment of ‘Pura Besakih’ (mother temple) with an aim to unite all elements of society. A separate article about ‘Pura Padharman’ will follow in a future edition of this magazine.
A question has arisen as to why every Hindu family should have tiered places of prayer. The holy manuscript ‘’Manawa Dharmasastra’’ (III - 202 and 203) notes that ‘Worship of ancestors (Dewa Pitara) will bring peace, strengthen tranquility, and increase rituals to God Almighty’.
The Bhagawad Gita (IX - 5) stipulates that worship should run from ‘bhuta’ to ‘butha’, from ancestor to its natural plain, from Deity until its natural plain, and from God up to its site.
Certain quarters interpret that the couplets cited above mean rejection to prayer or dedication to bhuta (nature), pitara (ancestor) and Dewa. Consequently, it would be enough for Hindu adherants to worship only God as worshipping bhuta, pitara, and Dewa would only lead men to encounter bhuta, pitara and Dewa. Such an opinion is not wrong. However, we should remember that the goal of worshipping bhuta, pitara and Dewa is to worship God. Otherwise said, worshipping butha, pitara, and Dewa would strengthen prayers to God. The reason according to Hindu point of view is that performing to ‘bhuta’ is a realization of yadnya (holy sacrifice) dedicated to nature.
The case is similar to worshipping ‘Dewa Pitara’ where God will reward the ancestors. Worshipping Dewa means showing dedication to God’s holy rays. This means that worshipping Atman in the Pura Kawitan ancestral temple is equal to showing dedication to Brahman in ‘Pura Dewa Pratistha’. This has become a tradition among Hindu adherants in general wherever they live.
(By Ketut Wiana and Berata Ashrama, editor).