Anak Agung Anom Sudira
Babad as Historical Source

Babad or Balinese chronicle is one of historical sources that are widely conserved by the community of Bali. It was originally written on lontar (palm) leaf or other media utilizing Balinese characters. However, some of them today are transliterated into Latin characters and bound in the form of book format.

Anak Agung Anom Sudira (71), inhabitant of Dencarik Royal Palace - Bangli, a collector and babad enthusiast, said that babad substantially carries historical facts that do not exceed 25%. “Its remaining 75% are consisting of fictional and mythical contents,” he said.
Anak Agung Anom Sudira has tens of babad collections at his home. In addition, he is determined to make the essence of babad that later on is written in the form of a book. It means to contribute his thought to a wider community, so the content of babad is not apprehended partially or entirely accepted as its.
Based on his observation, the proportion of myth and fiction predominates. They need analyzing further to find out what philosophy or facts are lying inside. He exemplified this with the explanation on the myth of the sage Danghyang Nirartha chronicle. The significance of his pilgrimage to Bali is described within this chronicle. As if he had entered into the belly of a dragon. Afterwards, he exited from it and came across water lily of three colors, namely red, yellow and black.
He interpreted the presence of Danghyang Nirartha in Bali few centuries ago as an environmental actuality of Bali Island that was not the same as what he had imagined on Java Island. “But as soon as he came out from the Island of Bali, as if he had encountered what became the colors of Bali (red, yellow and black) called Tri Datu,” he told Bali Travel News.
Just as the chronicle that narrates about the sage Empu Sidimantra. Mentioned, the presence of this sage in the past scratched his kris dagger on the westernmost tip of the Bali Island later made the Bali and Java Island separated each other. Its objective was to prevent his son, Manik Angkeran, to come after him returning home to Java. “Therefore, babad should not be perceived as it is,” he reminded.
Although he intensely criticizes the comprehension of community on the content of chronicle as ancestral heritage of Balinese, he himself supremely admired those works. Within the process of babad writing, the writer merely armed with what is remembered and what is based on his or her own inspiration.
He also admitted, the presence of Dutch people remarkably encouraged and made the Balinese aware of learning the babad as an invaluable ancestral heritage. Implementation of logic by Dutch people employing logical method in revealing the year of a particular incident is immensely good to look for the truth of babad as a historical source of Bali. (BTN/Suka)