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A Word of Dances

The Fallen Moon

Pak Ketut Manta, a local guide, tells the legend of the Pejeng Drum: “In the old times, there were seven moons in the firmament. One fell down and landed on a coconut tree in Pejeng. The celestial object illuminated the village nights, leaving burglars jobless - until one of them climbed the tree, urinating on the moon to extinguish its light. The brave man did not survive the resulting explosion, but his mission was successful. The moon fell to ground, the light was extinct and night life could resume. Still today, you can see the breaks on the gong and the greenish patina from the burglar's urine.”

back to the 10-12 th centuries. Yet, all visitors flock around a simple pavilion, the shrine of the revered “Fallen Moon of Pejeng,” a 186cm-high Bronze Age gong that may be the world's largest cast in a single piece, and the oldest archaeological artefact in Bali . Touching the sacred drum is strictly taboo. According to a local story told by painter Nieuwenkamp, a Dutch official struck the drum in 1875 to hear its tone, and fell ill the next day.

The intricate meandering patterns on the tympanum are typical motives of the Dong Son bronze – working tradition, which evolved in the Red River Delta in North Vietnam in the first millennium BC. It may have been cast locally as late as the first century AD. Clay moulds found near Denpasar and Sembiran attest that bronze drums were cast in Bali . Yet neither copper nor tin, the raw materials for bronze making, are found on the island. Hence I Wayan Ardika, a Balinese archaeologist, stresses that these huge bronze artifacts – also called rain drums, frog drums, or moko drums – bear witness to the intensive trade between Bali and other island of the Indonesian archipelago (In: J. Miksic, ed.: Ancient History . Indonesian Heritage ). Similar drums, of lesser size, have been found elsewhere in Indonesia . They still play a role in the culture of the island of Alor , in the Lesser Sundas.

Pura Kebo Edan, the Mad Buffalo Temple

This less well-known temple is found just south of Pejeng, on the left side of the road after the archaeologicall museum. It features the 3.6m – statue of a horned god, said to be Bhairawa, or Shiva in his “terrible” manifestation. Endowed with a glorious penis pierced with pins - a custom supposed to enhance a woman's pleasure – the deity dances on the bodies of a copulating couple. Legend says that he wanted to have sex with the woman, but could not penetrate her with is giant member. When he found her with a mortal, he crushed them beneath his feet.

dramatic jegog bamboo

earliest known kettledrum

female deity surrounded

called rain drums

Javanese Singasari kingdom

relaxation yoga classes

local organic farming