Pan Balang Tamak

In a village within the Kingdom of Sunantara, there lived a very wealthy couple. The husband was named Pan Balang Tamak, and his wife was Ni Tanu. He was known for his great wealth, but also for being stingy and lazy. He was highly intelligent, eloquent, but at times cunning and full of tricks. In addition, he was extremely lazy and often opposed the village rules. Because of this, he was disliked by the other villagers, especially by the village chiefs (Jero Bendesa). For this reason, every effort was made to impose the harshest punishments or fines on him, and if possible, to have him expelled from the village.

Illustration of greedy pan balang (Source: Personal collection)

Once upon a time, the village leaders held a meeting to find out what Pan Balang Tamak had done wrong so that he could be fined. The village leaders knew that Pan Balang Tamak did not have a chicken. Therefore, it was agreed that they would hold a community service to look for wood for building materials in the forest. All villagers were informed to do community service the next day, including Pan Balang Tamak. The notification given to Pan Balang Tamak said that the villagers had to go to the forest to look for wood, and to leave when the chicken got out of bed. The next morning, very early when the chicken crowed and got out of bed, all the villagers went to the forest to look for wood.

But Pan Balang Tamak was still silent in his house waiting for his chicken to come down from its bed. Pan Balang Tamak only had one chicken that was incubating its eggs. His chicken only came down from brooding after it was a bit late in the day. When his chicken came down from brooding, Pan Balang Tamak left for the forest. In the middle of his journey, he met other villagers who had returned from the forest and were carrying wood that they had found in the forest. Because the villagers had returned from the forest, Pan Balang Tamak also went home.

The next day, the village leaders ordered the villagers to hold a meeting, the purpose of which was to discuss Pan Balang Tamak's actions in not fulfilling the contents of the village notification. In the meeting, it was decided that Pan Balang Tamak would be fined a sum of money for not fulfilling the village notification. Pan Balang Tamak refused to be fined a sum of money because he felt he was not guilty. The reason was that he had left for the forest after his chicken came down from its bed. He only had one chicken that was brooding. His brooding chicken only came down from its place of brooding after noon. That was the reason why Pan Balang Tamak only left for the forest after noon. This reason meant that Pan Balang Tamak was not fined.

On another occasion, the villagers were told to donate to the village in the form of senggauk (slaked rice). Any villager who did not donate would be fined. The village leader knew that Pan Balang Tamak was very frugal and stingy, including his wife. Pan Balang Tamak and his wife cooked just enough rice every day. They never left any rice, let alone drying rice to be made into senggauk (slaked rice). Of course he would not have any saked rice ( senggauk ). Therefore, he would easily be fined by the villagers. The next day, Pan Balang Tamak went to the village hall bringing a sanggah uug (a type of damaged temple building). The reason was because he heard a notification from the juru arah (a person who gives information to every villager) that the juru arah who had a slurred voice said that the villagers should issue a sanggah uug . That reason meant that Pan Balang Tamak was not fined.

The next day the villagers held another meeting. The village leader found out that Pan Balang Tamak did not have a big dog, because he only had a small and very skinny dog. For that, a trap was made so that he could be fined. The next day the villagers were told to all villagers go to the forest to hunt by bringing a fierce dog and weapons for hunting. Early in the morning all the villagers went to the middle of the forest to hunt, including Pan Balang Tamak. Because Pan Balang Tamak did not have a big dog, he only brought his small dog. When they arrived in the middle of the forest, all the villagers were busy hunting by releasing their hunting dogs. Many animals were caught by the villagers. 

Once upon a time, Pan Balang Tamak in the middle of the forest met a deep ravine ( pangkung ). Pan Balang Tamak did not dare to pass through it. To be able to pass through it, he used his cunning. Pan Balang Tamak shouted saying that there was a bengkok pig (a toothless or toothless mother pig). The villagers all ran to approach Pan Balang Tamak. When he got close, Pan Balang Tamak said, " There is a panngkung sing metiti ". The villagers then made a crossing point from wood and bamboo so that all the villagers who were hunting could pass through the deep ravine. 

After all the villagers arrived in the middle of the forest, the villagers were busy hunting again. At that time, Pan Balang Tamak found a ketket tree with very dense leaves on the edge of a cliff. Pan Balang Tamak threw his puppy into the middle of the ketket bush or tree . The puppy made a loud noise because it was in pain and struggled to get out of the thorny bush. When his puppy made a loud noise in pain, Pan Balang Tamak also shouted saying that his dog was barking fiercely because it saw a dog that was biting . Because Pan Balang Tamak's dog was willing to make a noise when he was taken hunting, Pan Balang Tamak was not fined by his village leader.

The next day the village leaders again deliberated to find a way so that Pan Balang Tamak could be fined. It so happened that Pan Balang Tamak's yard and dry land were not surrounded by masengker (filled with a fence or boundary wall). Therefore, a village regulation was made so that all yard and dry land were surrounded by penyengker (a wall or boundary fence). If not obeyed, they would be fined with a fairly heavy fine. Likewise, if someone entered someone else's land without permission, that person would be fined with a fairly large fine as well.

Illustration of villagers discussing how to trap Pan Balang Tamak (Source: Personal collection)

Pan Balang Tamak knew that the rules made by the village were intended to corner him and fine him because only his house and his field did not have a fence. In addition, Pan Balang Tamak also did not have trees that could be used as a fence. Therefore, he found a way so that he could not be fined by the villagers. Because he did not have stakes or tree trunks to be used as a fence, Pan Balang Tamak fenced his land with sticks taken from sugar palm leaves. The sticks were stuck around Pan Balang Tamak's land. Incidentally, Pan Balang Tamak's land was located close to the village market, and was overgrown with shrubs, namely pulet trees . Whatever touched it, the pullet fruit would come off and stick to the object that touched it.

When the market was busy, there was a trader who was selling and had a stomachache and wanted to defecate. At that time, traditional markets generally did not have toilets as a place to defecate. So the trader went to a place that was easy to enter, there were trees or thick bushes that could be used as protection when defecating. It so happened that Pan Balang Tamak's land was close to thick bushes as a place to defecate, then the trader entered Pan Balang Tamak's land which was only fenced with coconut leaves so it was very easy to pass through. After finishing defecating, the trader returned to selling. When the market was busy, Pan Balang Tamak went to the market. When he arrived at the market, he saw a trader whose cloth was full of pullet fruit.

Then Pan Balang Tamak reported it to the village leader, that there was someone who violated the village rules by entering someone else's land without the owner's permission. As evidence, he showed the fruit of the pullet tree that was stuck to the trader's cloth. Another reason was that, only Pan Balang Tamak's yard was overgrown with pullet trees , while everyone else's land was clean because they often weeded the grass and bushes that grew on their land. Finally, the trader was fined and the fine was given to Pan Balang Tamak.

The village leaders seemed to have run out of ideas to create a work program to be able to fine Pan Balang Tamak. One day a complaint came from a villager who was a spy for the village head. The report said that Pan Balang Tamak did not have a bull. Hearing the report, the village leaders agreed to hold a bullfighting competition. In the competition, a rule was made that only bulls could be entered in the competition. Any villager who did not participate in the competition even though they did not have a bull would be subject to very heavy sanctions in the form of a fine or be expelled from the village. This time the village leaders and residents who did not sympathize with Pan Balang Tamak were very excited and felt sure that in this event Pan Balang Tamak would definitely be fined. So it was announced that the village would hold a bullfighting competition, and any resident who did not participate would be fined as heavily as possible. Hearing the announcement, Pan Balang Tamak was very disappointed and sad. He thought hard about how he could participate in the competition. Pan Balang Tamak only had a female cow who was breastfeeding her 3-month-old calf. That is why he tried to borrow or rent a big bull from other villagers. The goal, of course, was to be able to participate in the bullfighting competition and not be fined. However, until the afternoon he did not get a cow to rent.

Because it was already night, Pan Balang Tamak returned to his house. It is said that when Pan Balang Tamak arrived at his house, his wife saw her husband coming with a sad, pale face and as if he had no passion for life. Pan Balang Tamak's wife asked: "Why do you look confused, sad, and your face is pale, Kanda?" That was her question while preparing coffee. "Please drink Kanda, and don't be sad or it will make me sad too". Those were the words of Pan Balang Tamak's wife. For a long time Pan Balang Tamak did not answer his wife's question. Finally, after he finished drinking the coffee his wife had served him, he told the cause of his sadness. 

After a while they were both drowning in sadness, finally Pan Balang Tamak's wife said: "My brother, I have a good idea. We have a cow that is breastfeeding her calf and it happens to be a male calf. Just fight the calf, it will definitely win". That's how the two of them chatted about the strategy that would be used in the bullfight the next day. Pan Balang Tamak was very relieved and satisfied because he felt sure he would win the bullfight the next day. The next day, very early in the morning all the villagers had gathered in a very wide and flat field to take part in the bullfight. Men and women, old and young, many came to watch the competition, besides there were also those who wanted to bet. All members of the village brought large fighting cows. However, only Pan Balang Tamak brought a calf that was still breastfeeding. Many villagers laughed and mocked Pan Balang Tamak. However, he did not care and did not pay attention. 

Illustration of a bull fighting competition in the village (Source: Personal collection)

After many cows fought, some lost, some won, and some drew. Finally, it was Pan Balang Tamak's turn to bring out his fighting cow. The cow that would be fought was the village head's very large and fat fighting cow. This strategy had indeed been arranged by the village head so that he could easily win the competition and obtain a lot of betting money. Pan Balang Tamak actually already knew the village head's cunning strategy who wanted to corner him and drain his wealth. That was why he had prepared a clever tactic to anticipate not losing in this bullfighting competition. From home he had prepared the milk of his mother cow that had been milked that morning. The milk was put into a container made of mashed coconut shell. The milk of the mother cow that was in the coconut shell was brought by Pan Balang Tamak to the competition venue. Before the competition started, Pan Balang Tamak pretended to go around looking at other residents' fighting cows. At that time he chose a very large bull belonging to the village head.   He pretended to be amazed by the size of the cow. He then felt the lower part, precisely the testicles of the fighting bull. When Pan Balang Tamak felt the lower part of the big cow. He then smeared the milk of the mother cow that he brought, right on the testicles and genitals of the big fighting bull. It is said that after Pan Balang Tamak's fighting bull and the village chief's cow were facing each other. The village chief invited Pan Balang Tamak to bet a very large amount. The village chief was very happy, he thought that all of Pan Balang Tamak's wealth would soon change hands and become his. The terms of losing and winning had also been announced. Whoever's cow left the arena where the fight was held would be declared the loser, and the bet belonged to the winner. 

After the bet amount was agreed upon and the terms of the win-lose had been announced, the two cows were released to fight. At that time, Pan Balang Tamak's bull calf went to look for the village chief's cow. The cow then put its head into the bottom of the village chief's cow. The village chief's bull thought it was a mother cow because it smelled of milk. The village chief's bull became confused and ran because it couldn't stand the fact that its genitals and testicles were being licked by Pan Balang Tamak's calf. Because the bull couldn't stand it, it left the bullfighting arena. When the village chief's cow had left the arena, the village chief's cow was declared the loser, the village chief did not accept this defeat. However, Pan Balang Tamak still demanded that the village chief's cow be declared the loser because it had left the bullfighting arena. Finally, the referee and committee still decided that the village chief's cow had lost. At that time, witnessed by all the villagers, all the wealth owned by the village chief was transferred to Pan Balang Tamak. The village chief's defeat in the bullfight made him hate Pan Balang Tamak even more. He also looked for various ways to get his wealth back. 

The next day, it was time for the villagers to hold a village meeting to discuss village programs and pay fines for villagers who were fined. All villagers had been informed that the next day all villagers would go to the village hall for a meeting and pay the fines. Pan Balang Tamak again found a way to get money. The day before the meeting was held, Pan Balang Tamak made iwel snacks , a type of cake made from roasted black sticky rice, then finely ground into flour. The roasted sticky rice flour was mixed with grated coconut, then steamed, and after it was cooked it was ground or scavenged to resemble dog feces. Early in the morning before the meeting started and it happened to be still very quiet, Pan Balang Tamak went to the village hall with iwel snacks that had been made to resemble dog feces and enough water. The iwel snacks were placed on the joints under the wooden poles or pillars of the village hall. The iwel snacks were then poured with water to make them look like dog urine. When the village meeting was about to start, all villagers had come to attend the village meeting. At that time Pan Balang Tamak said: “ Inggih krama desa sami, sapa sira ja purun ngajengang tain cicinge niki lakar gajin tiang siu keteng” , ‘Oh all villagers, whoever dares to eat this dog poop, I will give you a thousand coins’. Hearing Pan Balang Tamak’s words like that, of course the villagers were silent, and no one dared to answer to eat the snack that they thought was dog poop. At that time the village leader said, “ Nah lamun cai ne bani ngamah tain cicinge ȇnto, icang bakalan ngupahin cai aji siu keteng pis bolong ”, (Yes, if you dare to eat the dog poop, then I will reward you with a thousand coins with holes). When the village leader heard the words like that, Pan Balang Tamak ate the dog poop until it was finished. The villagers were amazed at Pan Balang Tamak’s courage who did not show the slightest disgust. After he finished eating the dog feces, Pan Balang Greedy was given a very large reward, namely a thousand pieces of kepeng or bolong money.   Pan Balang Greedy's wealth continued to increase.

The villagers, especially the village head, were very angry and resentful of Pan Balang Tamak's existence. Finally, because he was at his wits' end, the village head reported Pan Balang Tamak to the king. The village head reported that Pan Balang Tamak was a very cunning villager, did not want to work together and always opposed the awig-awig (rules) applied in the village. Hearing the village head's report like that, the king was very angry and would punish Pan Balang Tamak. The king planned to kill Pan Balang Tamak by poisoning him. The village head was told to find a very powerful poison and someone to poison Pan Balang Tamak. Pan Balang Tamak knew about the bad intentions of the village leader and the king. So his wife was told that he would be poisoned by the king. But before he died, he told his wife: "My beloved wife, when I die, sit my body in a holy place and arrange my position so that I look as if I am sitting cross-legged like in meditation. Find some beetles then put them in a monkey , then put them behind me. Try not to cry. Be calm as if I am still alive. Tomorrow the king will surely die. When the news comes that the king is dead, put my body in the chest where our wealth is, while all our wealth is put on the bed. then cover it so that it looks like a pile of corpses. You, cry beside it so that you look as if you are crying over my body. The chest where my body is will surely be stolen. Remember my message, my wife."

Illustration of the death of a king (Source: Personal collection)

Once upon a time, Pan Balang Tamak had died from being poisoned. According to his message, his body was placed in  the Sanggah (family shrine) in a cross-legged position. That night, the king's spies saw Pan Balang Tamak sitting cross-legged in his Sanggah meditating. This was reported to the king that Pan Balang Tamak was still alive and meditating in his Sanggah . The king was furious. He thought the poison that was given to Pan Balang Tamak to eat was ineffective. Then the owner of the poison was killed. Because he was very upset, a little of the poison was eaten. Because of the efficacy of the poison, the king died.

After Pan Balang Tamak's wife heard the news that the king had died, her husband's body was carried and put into a coffin. All of his possessions and money, which were his wealth, were collected and arranged to resemble a pile of corpses, then covered with cloth. The pile of his wealth looked exactly like Pan Balang Tamak's pile of corpses. Pan Balang Tamak's wife then cried loudly while groaning in heartbreak. That night, several thieves came who wanted to steal Pan Balang Tamak's wealth. The thieves were fooled by Pan Balang Tamak's wife's tactics. The coffin, which was thought to contain Pan Balang Tamak's valuables, was taken and carried out of the house. When they arrived at a place that they thought was safe, the thieves agreed to stop and were going to open the contents of the coffin to share, but because there was an unpleasant smell, the coffin was not opened.

That was repeated over and over again and the place where the coffin was to be opened was moved, but the smell of a corpse was still there, which he thought was the smell of a dog or chicken carcass. Finally, by mutual agreement, they looked for a place where there was probably no corpse, namely in a temple. The coffin was brought into the temple. When they arrived in the temple, the coffin was opened, and it turned out that the contents were the body of Pan Balang Tamak. After it was discovered that the contents of the coffin were a corpse, the group of thieves left it.

The next day, Jero Mangku came to clean the temple. When he entered the temple, he saw a very large chest. He thought it was a gift from the God who resided in the temple. Then Jero Mangku told the village leader that there was a gift from the God in the temple in the form of a chest. The village leader then invited all the villagers to come to the temple with offerings to be presented to the God who bestowed the chest. The worship then began and the offerings were presented by Jero Mangku . After finishing worshiping, the chest was opened, and it turned out that the contents were the body of Pan Balang Tamak. All the villagers were very disappointed, but what can be said, the worship had already been done, so it was agreed to bury and ceremonially bury the body of Pan Balang Tamak. To commemorate and honor Pan Balang Tamak, the villagers agreed to build a building in the form of a pelinggih in the temple.