Unique! This Tigawasa Village has a temple without a physical building in the middle of the forest

Tigawasa Village is located in Banjar District, Buleleng Regency. This village is one of the Bali Aga (Old Bali) Villages which is a group of people who live in the mountains, especially near springs. Therefore they are called Bali Aga which means "Mountains". Tigawasa Village is already famous for producing bamboo woven handicrafts, this village also has a unique tradition, which does not recognize the term burning corpses and local wisdom in the form of sacred and traditional arts.

Well, besides that, more uniquely, Tigawasa Village has a temple without a physical building and Kahyangan Tiga Temple. Generally, temples that we know are temples that have traditional architectural buildings with carvings and ornaments that are built majestically. Unlike the temple in Tigawasa Village which is only a bamboo forest, the bamboo will be used to support the place of offerings.

According to the Perbekel of Tigawasa Village I Made Suadarmayasa, stated that the temple without physical buildings is called Alam Tample (temple in the middle of the forest). Tigawasa Village has 9 Alam Temples, namely, Kayehan Sanghyang Temple, the manifestation of Dewa Wisnu symbolized by a manger, Pememan Temple, the manifestation of Dewa Brahma, Munduk Taulan Temple symbolized by Taulan Lingga Yoni the manifestation of Dewa Siwa, Pemantenan Temple, Baung Temple, Bolong Temple, Cegi Temple, Pendem Temple, and Pempatan Temple.

Pempatan Temple is one of the temples without physical buildings that has a spring which is one of the three beji in Tigawasa Village. The spring water in Pempatan Temple is used as a corpse bath. The requirement when taking water from this beji pempatan is to buy water using pis bolong. The number of pis bolong is in accordance with the number of people who died.

Beji Pempatan (Photo Source: Author's Collection)

There is another spring in Tigawasa Village, Beji Sumai or people often call it happy water. Beji Sumai spring is used for prayers in the temple or used as Tirta. And Beji Congok where the spring is used as a Bhuta Kala Ceremony.

The existence of 9 temples is considered in accordance with the cardinal directions and the location is also scattered at the ends near the village border. This Natural Temple exists because of the belief in Widhi Pertiwi, the power of God not to make Tugu (Pelinggih) buildings. On the day of piodalan, people pray only with the help of bamboo plapah. Each temple is believed to have an invisible guardian. The people of Tigawasa Village are very sacred to Pura Alam, no one dares to behave carelessly. If violated there will be consequences for the person and his family.

In maintaining the sanctity of this temple the community has unwritten rules. For example they are not allowed to dispose of waste that leads to the temple and are prohibited from bathing around the temple. People who own land adjacent to Pura Alam will also not dare to do physical development. The land will only be planted with trees such as bamboo plants, cloves, and so on. This Alam temple has a clear pancoran between the trees. In this pancoran, people use the water to be used as Tirta or holy water when performing prayers at Alam Temple.

Not only the Natural Temple but, in Tigawasa Village also has Kahyangan Tiga Temple which is like a building with traditional architecture, namely, Gedong Besakih Temple, Village Temple or Bale Agung, and Segara Temple. Tigawasa Village does not have a Dalem Temple because this Dalem Temple has been made into one with the Desa Temple (Bale Agung), which is believed by local residents if people who have black magic will be destroyed when they set foot in Tigawasa Village.

Desa Temple (Photo Source: Author's Collection)

Gedong Besakih Temple is a place of worship of Ida Sang Hyang Widhi who resides in Besakih Temple which is located in Besakih Village, Rendang District, Karangasem Regency. This temple was established because in the ancient royal era when going to the ceremony in the village of Tigawasa required to take Tirta or holy water in Besakih Temple.

Gedong Besakih Temple (Photo Source: Author's Collection)

However, because the distance is quite far and at that time there were no vehicles, so the residents had to walk to Besakih Temple which would take a long time, when they arrived at the village there were always people who died and in the end the ceremony was canceled. Therefore, in order to avoid unwanted things, the Gedong Besakih Temple was established for the worship of God who resides in Besakih Temple.

In addition, Tigawasa Village has its own traditional calendar for holidays or piodalan. Residents in this village are strictly prohibited from entering the temple area carelessly. Because they themselves have a certain time to enter the temple area both Alam Temple and Kahyangan Tiga Temple. As well as people who are grieving such as death, the term cuntaka then may not worship or enter the temple.