Скачать или смотреть Rangda vs Barong in Banjar Ampel: Sacred Napak Pertiwi Ritual & Trance in Nusa Penida

The Napak Pertiwi (also called Mesolah) ritual is one of Bali’s most profound ceremonial moments — an encounter between humans, ancestral spirits, and the invisible cosmic forces that sustain village life. This video, taken in Desa Pakraman Ampel, Pejukutan, Nusa Penida, documents the rare appearance of Rangda, the embodiment of Dewi Durga, alongside the village Barong during the sacred celebration of Odalan Dalem.


Sacred Masks and the Balinese Concept of Changing Form

In Balinese ritual philosophy, sacred masks (sesuhunan) are not merely objects — they are temporary bodies for divine or ancestral energies. During ceremonies, a dancer who wears a mask is believed to undergo a controlled transformation, a “changing of form” (ngalih wujud), made possible through the knowledge of sacred magic. Through this embodiment, the spirit can manifest, teach, protect, or restore balance within the community.

Because of this sacred role, masks are usually kept hidden within temple shrines and brought out only on specific ritual days — such as Odalan Dalem, when the community honors the forces of death, transition, and cosmic renewal. Dancing the mask in a consecrated procession renews its taksu (its spiritual potency or magic aura), revitalizing the protective energy that safeguards the village for the year ahead.


Dewi Durga and the Rangda Mask

Dewi Durga — manifestation of Uma, goddess of fertility and wife of Siwa — is ruler of the graveyard, the dead, and the underworld. Despite her terrifying appearance, Durga is ultimately a beneficent cosmic force, recycling the body’s elements back into the universe:

• body → earth
• hair → air
• water → sea
• soul → wind
• heat → the sun

This return of elements enables the cycle of reincarnation to continue.

In Balinese mask traditions, Durga is also represented as Rangda, especially in Calonarang drama — the archetypal angry widow, a master of black magic, feared for her wild mannerisms, rasping voice, and erratic, leaping movements. Her mask displays exaggerated tusks, a lolling leather tongue, vibrating fingers with six-inch nails, and a mane of horsehair or praksok fiber. She carries a white cloth inscribed with magic drawings, which is used to wrap and store the mask after the ritual.


The Barong: Guardian of Village Harmony

Opposing Rangda is the Barong, the radiant protector spirit and symbol of life, order, and benevolent cosmic energy. Within Balinese ritual cosmology, Barong and Rangda embody the eternal tension between growth and decay, right and left, high and low forms of spiritual power. Their dramatic confrontation reenacts the universal struggle between destructive and protective forces — a sacred performance that ensures equilibrium is restored within the village.


Trance and the Balinese Ritual Experience

Ceremonies of this scale often induce trance states (kerauhan) among both dancers and community members. Trance is understood not as a loss of control, but as a moment when divine energy temporarily inhabits the body, allowing participants to speak, move, or act on behalf of unseen forces. Through trance, the community receives messages, healing, and spiritual protection conveyed through those who become vessels.


An Ethnographic Glimpse into a Living Balinese Ritual

This video offers a rare ethnographic window into a living ceremonial tradition—where sacred masks are awakened, cosmic battles are embodied, and the boundary between human and divine becomes permeable. The Napak Pertiwi ritual is not a performance for entertainment, but a community duty, a renewal of cosmic balance, and a reaffirmation of the village’s protective spiritual energies.

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