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The Days Of Mysterious Rumors
2005-05-05
[Theechomagazine.com]
Magical Bali, the island of mystery, the island of magic: these words are all applied to describe the exotic quality of Bali that so far has been widely exploited for the sake of promoting the island as a tourist haven. The magical aspect of Bali has long entertained visitors with various stage performances of trance and possession such as the Barong of Batubulan or the fire dance from Bona village. There are indeed people who are actually employed to go into trance just for the sake of tourism.
The magical aspect of Bali is also sometimes filled with inexplicable phenomena. Only last February, droplets of water came out of a family shrine in Gatot Subroto, Denpasar. It went on for days, creating stalactite-like forms inside the shrine. At the Temple of Ulun Danu, a similar situation took place; the statue of the Chinese Goddess Kwan Im dripped with water.
These phenomenons were published in the local newspaper, complete with addresses for curious visitors. This was indeed invitation for people from all over Bali to come and collect water droplets, believed to be holy water: The Balinese version to the healing waters of Lourdes in France.
The last couple of weeks have also been filled with magical rumors. Especially during February, when Bali was stunned by unexplainable phenomena: people were finding mysterious signs in their temples, or their family shrines. The signs, or white marks, were not mysterious by the nature of shape; it was mysterious by the fact that nobody knew who had stroked them. "Some people are anxious as to why there are signs on their shrine, others are equally puzzled as to why their shrine hadn't been marked," says Komang.
TAPAK DARA
The most current and widely spoken magical phenomena began around 16th February, when several temples in the Karangasem regency were signed with white streaks, in the shape of tapak dara (similar to a 'plus' or 'cross'). The following day, 17th February, similar streaks of tapak dara were found at some temples in North East Bali. It was then revealed in the local media that three villagers from Sinabun village, Buleleng, North Bali, suddenly became possessed, running to their village temple and moving their bodies uncontrollably. The newspaper story said that during trance the men claimed they were messengers from Mount Agung the holy mountain of Bali, who wanted to tell their fellow villagers and others that the streak-markers were by invisible troops of 'wong samar' (invisible people, similar to leprechauns) from Mount Agung. They wanted to warn people about certain dangers everyone will face in the future.
|  The streaks of tapak dara were spreading across the island, penetrating even the most remote parts of the island. The marks were first reported in the capital of Denpasar on 19th February at two family temples in Suwung village. The signs were also found in the offering altar (pelangkiran) in a locked room of a house in Dewata Street, Sidakarya, Denpasar. The house was locked, everyone was out, but the streaks of tapak dara were found inside the house. "There were no signs of a break-in to the house," reported the city police spokesperson, Commissioner Suryasa. The next day, the signs of tapak dara were also found at a shrine in Jaya Pub, Legian and at about four houses nearby the pub. The mysterious mark was then found at the family shrine of Aquarius Star hotel, Legian.
It was then everywhere. From Karangasem, Singaraja, Bangli, Klungkung, every corner of the island, Gianyar, Denpasar, Badung, Tabanan, there was no district without the marks.
Almost everyone had their own experience to tell about comings of the sign in their temple, or in their relatives' shrine.
"The electricity went out all of a sudden that night," said Dayu Indra from Tabanan. "The dogs were howling like crazy." It was only about ten minutes, yet everyone was dead frightened. Afterwards, they saw that the family shrines were signed with tapak dara.
In Denpasar, several people even found the strange markings on their doors. "I woke up in the morning and suddenly I saw the sign on my door," said Ridwan (22), a university student in the island's capital.
"There are eight families living in our lane," said Luh Kerti. "Six of them have their shrines signed." However, Luh's own temple managed to avoid being marked.
In the village of Belandingan, Kintamani, 100 out of 196 families had their temples or shrines signed with the mysterious streaks, local newspaper Bali Post revealed.
Bali's regional police headquarters was even stroked, in a place where armed guards were on watch twenty four hours around the clock. In the headquarters temple, the police found the white signs stroked in seven different places.
This phenomenon created anxiety across the island as well as a great deal of speculation about the streak-markers and the meaning behind it all.
Bali's Police took investigative steps, firstly by taking a sample of the tapak dara and examining it at their forensic laboratory. "We have taken all proper procedures to find the actors behind this phenomenon," Commisioner Suryasa revealed. "Indeed it is difficult because the signs were everywhere. So many of them were made in temples and family shrines. We talked to religious leaders in an attempt to calm the anxiety and to make sure the communities were not misled by rumors," Suryasa added.
Actually, the sign of 'tapak dara' (+) symbolizes the rays of the sun. In Bali the sun is called Sang Hyang Siwa Raditya. Tapak dara in the later form becomes a Swastika, which symbolizes the foundation of power and prosperity of Bhuana Agung (macrocosm) and Bhuana Alit (microcosm).
According to Sarad, a Bali-based magazine that concentrates on various aspects of Hinduism, tapak dara originally comes from India. It has been applied by the Balinese as a symbol of devotion to request safety from divine powers, or to ask the Gods to placate the risk of future calamity. Balinese Hindus are indeed rich with symbols. Tapak dara has long been applied in many aspects of personal and communal life and rituals. During rituals, particularly at the pemlaspasan (consecration) ceremony of one's house or shrine or temple, tapak dara is used to conclude the ritual: it is gently stroked by the priest to one side of the building. The symbol of tapak dara is also widely used by Balinese Balian or traditional doctors, to placate the danger of illness.
During the weeks of the mysterious drawings, tapak dara was not the only symbol that was mysteriously stroked on many temples and shrines. The pictures accompanying this article also show several other shapes. Some temples are signed with the plus sign of tapak dara, while others are marked with a horizontal line (minus) or sometimes two or three horizontal lines.
The Balinese referred to this phenomenon as colek pamor. Pamor is a white chalk powder, usually used during ceremonies. Colek means touching with the tip of the finger. Colek pamor means drawing with tip of finger using white chalk powder.
|  WHO DREW THEM?
But the question still abounds as to who drew those signs? Who did those colek pamor drawings? Did many people do them? How could they reach such remote places, how could it be done without anyone noticing, how could they get away with it in front of so many guards? There are perhaps thousands of temples stroked with the signs, yet nobody ever saw the strokes being made. How come?
"If a group of people did it, I would say it is the job of the police to find the culprits," said Suryasa. "It has created great confusion and anxiety." He understands the popular opinion however. "Most people believe it is not the doing of humans." Modern police don't deal with invisible people and don't have methods to trace the suspects from the other world. Predictably there have been rumors circulating and stories related to this phenomenon.
One explanation said that troops of wong samar from Mount Agung did all the colek pamor. Made Adi (not his real name) revealed that his friend's mother saw a large number of unusual people walking a street of Singaraja. The mother has a supernatural gift; she has often experienced strange things. "They were small, about one third the size of normal people." These small people entered almost every house of his friend's neighborhood. Upon reading in the newspaper of troops from Mount Agung, his mother speculated that she witnessed this troop.
I obtained another version of explanation from a friend in Penatih village. He revealed a story of a child's vision. Between the conscious and the unconscious, while the child was playing next to a temple in Ketewel, she saw a beautiful woman, perhaps a princess, wearing traditional costume riding a horse cart. The coachman, surprisingly, was Anoman the white ape from Ramayana story. Anoman carried a big bowl of pamor. They looked at her and asked if she wanted to come and help them. The girl was left speechless, she simply shook her head. The princess then asked the young girl not to leave her house on 28th February. Seeing the mighty ape Anoman bearing bowl of pamor powder made her -and anyone who believed the story- think that Hanoman was behind the colek pamor phenomenon. But another thing emerged - the date. Why 28th? It was generally believed that danger would come on that day. It brought about another kind of confusion. Many people actually took heed of this mysterious warning and didn't go anywhere on the day.
Local papers also came up with their own speculations. It was said, that colek pamor was arranged by a group of people. "They are sakti people." The reason behind their act is unclear. Sakti means powerful with supernatural powers or to possess magic or divine power.
| These kinds of stories, and some other versions of it, were widely discussed in warung food stalls all over Bali, and became the subject of conversation in almost all work places, government offices and generally on the streets of Bali. Some foreign news wires even picked up on the news.
What is the meaning of colek pamor for the Balinese anyway? Some people say it is the sign of danger, others believe it is the sign of hope.
Ibu Laurentia, a famous Indonesian paranormal, mentioned that the signs were possibly connected to Mount Agung, the sacred active volcano and holiest mountain of Bali. She reminded Balinese Hindus to recite the holy verses of Gayatri Mantram and Mantram Siwa four times a day.
"It reminds people about the time of Kaliyuga," said Ida Pedanda of Griya Perean, Tabanan. Kaliyuga was a period of danger. "In the time of Kaliyuga, only twenty five percent of the population was honest, the majority was deceitful." He said that Gods have given a lot of messages about honesty to people in the world. "Colek pamor is only one amongst the many reminders that God has sent us." Calamity and natural disaster are other signs.
"It doesn't really matter," said Mangku Sutari, a common priest in Denpasar. "With or without this phenomena we have to find the truth, we have to learn the proper ways of conduct and we have to care for each other."
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