Barong-Barong Temple: Place to Pray for Taksu in Bali
Bali is a very beautiful tourist destination that is thick with culture and traditions that have been around for generations. Besides being thick with traditions and culture, the island of Bali is also nicknamed the island of a thousand temples, where the island of Bali is surrounded by temples in every direction. Barong-Barong Temple is one of the temples at the southern tip of Bali Island, precisely in Sawangan Village, South Kuta sub-district, Badung. To get to this temple it takes 45 minutes from Denpasar city with a distance of approximately 25 km. The location of the temple is different in one direction from the road to Samabe Bali Suites & Villa. Even though it is close to the hotel, it does not reduce the sacredness and sanctity of this temple.
This temple, which is located in the south of Bali, is administratively known as Pura Dalem Karang Boma, better known as "Pura Barong-barong" among the local community. The name comes from a story involving fishermen who often cross the waters in front of this temple. These fishermen are often lost and confused, so they pray on their boats. However, shortly after praying, they saw the hill on which Karang Boma Temple stands, which they described as similar to the figure of a Barong dancing.
However, more than this fisherman's story, Karang Boma Temple has a strong history. Previously, the area now known as Sawangan was once called Kedok Lang Dukuh. At that time, two important figures, namely, Ida Ratu Manik Maketel from Dalem Ped Nusa Penida and Ida Ratu Ayu Manik Mataum from Pasar Agung, Besakih, came to this area and built a holy place.
Then, a holy sage, Danghyang Nirartha, was traveling from Tanjung Benoa and Geger. During his journey, he saw a stone that glowed like fire, which became known as Karang Geni. This stone was later given the name Karang Boma, which means the power of Boma. In this place too, the priests of the Gelgel Kingdom practiced yoga until they finally received the gift of pasupati from Batara Shiva. This gift was then passed on to Ida Ratu Manik Maketel and Ida Ratu Manik Mataum, who then built Karang Boma Temple.
Pura Dalem Karang Boma (Source: Author's Collection)
Karang Boma Temple has charming architecture and a unique structure. The structure of this temple consists of three parts of the temple, namely the main mandala, middle jaba, and side jaba. This is different from temples in general where the Main Mandala or innards are higher than Nista and Madya Mandala. Meanwhile, in this temple, the Main Mandala is in the lowest position, while the middle jaba (Madya Mandala) is located higher, and the side jaba (Nista Mandala) is in the highest position. This structure is in line with the condition of the land which is in the form of a steep cliff.
Inside the main mandala of the temple there are at least seven impressive pelinggih or sacred buildings. The main pelinggih is the gedong pajenengan Ida Ratu Manik Mataum, which is described as the stana of Hyang Pasupati. Your gedong saka serves as the linggih of Ida Ratu Ayu Manik Maketel. Apart from that, there are also gedong pengasti Taman Sari, taksu Agung, linggih Ratu Ayu Sri Suka Sedana, meru overlap one linggih Sedahan Lamak, and the apit lawang linggih monument Ida Gede Ngurah Pengenter.
Karang Boma Temple is an important place for sacred ceremonies and barong dance performances. Seven barong groups from Denpasar and Badung visited this temple during the Tumpek Landep piodalan. This includes barong visits from Banjar Lantang Bejuh, Seseten, barong visits from the villages of Sidakarya, Pedungan, Bualu, Pagan, Kelandis, Suci, and Sawangan itself. These visits have deep spiritual meaning and contribute to the religious rituals at Karang Boma Temple.
