I Putu Gede Suyoga1, I Komang Gede Santhyasa2, Ida Ayu Putu Mahapatni2 [email protected]1
Bali Design Collage1 Hindu Indonesia University1,2
ABSTRACT
Balinese traditional landscape has a design guideline in the selection and placement of plant variants. The concept of Tri Hita Karana underlies the layout of plants in traditional Balinese spaces. The magi-religious, humanist, and technical aspects influence the consideration of selecting and planting different types of plants in traditional Balinese landscape including aspects of usadha ‘medicine and health’ or healing aspect. It is very interesting to be studied with the perspective of cultural studies. The condition of Bali’s geography, topography, and natural climate is also a consideration for the selection of suitable plants growing in the Parhyangan, Pawongan and Palemahan zones. The purpose of this study is to determine healing aspects in traditional Balinese landscape plants scattered in the three zonations.
This research is a qualitative with descriptive interpretative method approach. The research findings show healing aspect, ie plant as medicine to maintain health and vitality (preventives), as well as for the treatment of disease (curative), become the main foundation of traditional Balinese lancscape design, in addition to aspects of magic (belief), religion (ritual), technical (structure-construction), environment, and aesthetic.
Keywords: Culture, Healing, Plants, and Balinese Traditional Landscape.
INTRODUCTION
Each traditional area in Indonesia with diverse ethnic, cultural, geographic, topographic, climatic conditions has its own peculiarities in the arrangement of traditional parks, including in Bali. Bali’s traditional park is a traditional Balinese landscaped gardens.
Bali traditional park is a tropical garden that refers to the location of Bali island in Indonesia as the main icon. Preparation of the design of the form of the park actually has the same style with other tropical gardens, the composition is not the same or the difference that based on Balinese culture. The main element is the influence of the culture of the Island of the Gods is clearly visible as the use of plants derived from Bali which became one of the characteristics of this park, for example frangipani tree and pandan Bali.
The presence of traditional objects and accessories, especially ethnic Balinese sculptures, can also be a unique and different identity from other tropical gardens, but the mystical impression is also felt strong. Therefore, this Balinese style garden can be a trend in all areas of the country,
(I Putu Gede Suyoga, I Komang Gede Santhyasa, Ida Ayu Putu Mahapatni)
even outside the country with a little adjustment to the beliefs held by the park owner, for example for the followers of Islam, the element of the statue should not be input in this Balinese style garden setting, Because there are many more interesting elements that can replace the shape of the statue.
Traditional Balinese-style gardens are often labeled as a mysterious and magical ornamental garden arrangement, although most of the ornaments displayed highlight the unique flora and fauna. Essentially, the design of Bali’s garden is not just covered in classic decoration with mysterious fantasy motif, but also displays the modern elements according to the demands of the society that is more concerned with the abstract decoration of the three dimensional image.
The most important feature in traditional Balinese gardening is the plants. Typically, plants in Balinese gardens are characterized by uniqueness and classic, such as shoots of nails, frangipani, heliconia and alocasia. This simply shows Bali is located in the tropics, with various types and character of a strong tropical plant.
Elements of water movement must be present in every Balinese traditional park, as the flow and the water entwined symbolizes prosperity and peace. Another feature that must exist in a traditional Balinese garden is a statue. There is at least one statue in this park. The statue reflects the recognition of the ongoing upheaval over the aspect of rwa bhineda, the element of good and evil raised from the mythology of the gods, the heroic story of Mahabharata, Ramayana, or Tantri Kamandaka (fables), as well as other romantic, moral, ethical, Hinduism or Buddhism.
The statues of nuance of extravagance and unity are more widely used in the gardens of the
‘holy place’ parhyangan zone, such as temples, worship places, beji ‘holy water sources’, graves, and other sacred areas. This type of sculpture can be replaced with human or animal-shaped statues, such as elephants, tigers, fish, deer, or other animals if placed in the pawongan zone around human life, for example in homes, schools, offices and others places.
Nowadays, many garden arrangements that use pottery ornaments, such as jars, clay garden lights, and abstract-patterned sculptures replace the use of patterned artificial statues, in addition to artificial or printed material combined with a fountain.
The park not only involves architectural, functional, aesthetic, but also involves Balinese cultural philosophy in every placement of its landscape components, so patterned in such a way, standard and distinctive for each component. Balinese traditional park has a very high philosophy, as it is published in various lontar and scriptures.
The concept of Tri Hita Karana underlies the layout of plants in traditional Balinese spaces.
The magi-religious, humanist, and technical aspects influence the consideration of selecting and planting various types of plants in traditional Balinese landscape including healing aspect, ie plants as ingredients for preserving health and vitality (prefentives), as well as for the treatment of disease (curative). The condition of Bali’s geography, topography, and natural climate is also a consideration for the selection of suitable plants growing in the Parhyangan, Pawongan and Palemahan zones. It is very interesting to be studied with the perspective of cultural studies.
(I Putu Gede Suyoga, I Komang Gede Santhyasa, Ida Ayu Putu Mahapatni)
DISCUSSION
Bali Traditional Garden Philosophy
The philosophy of Balinese traditional garden can be understood from the story of Mount Mandara or Mandara Giri playback. Adi Parwa manuscript VXIX page mentions that in the play Mandara Giri in Ksirarnawa bring up some components among others: (1) Ardha Chandra (crescent moon), that is hard element and beauty. The element in question is the aspect of the building with all its forms and its beauty. (2) Gumani caste wood, as an element of plant that gives life or kalpataru, gives rise to Panca Wriksa, the first five plants that grow and give life, namely:
(a) banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis) that can provide shade and peace of life; (b) ancak or bodhi tree (Hemandia Pellata) as a place of meditation to connect with God, pleading for life and peace;
(c) banana (musa sp), which is a life-giving food; (d) the uduh plant (Caryota myitis) which is the place of receiving the accusers/wangsit or advices, and (e) peji plants, as a place of praise or worship of God’s greatness.
Next (3) The water is thickened, as the symbol of living water which is the most important element that can provide coolness, both coolness of mind and coolness of the environment, so it is tirtakamandalu or water amertha, because amertha means not death or immortal. Further explanation of this water, producing Pancara, which is water engineering for the environment, which includes: (a) seta or bridge, (b) tama or gardens, (c) ponds or fisheries, (d) ponds or ecosystems and (e) peken or market.
Then comes (4) Goddess Lakshmi, as a symbol of beauty, both in the beauty of peace, harmony, and environment, which leads to provide life for humans and other living creatures. (5) Oncersrawa horse (white horse), as a symbol of spatial creativity. And (6) Bongkah, is a symbol of irregular shapes such as rocks and earth.
The appearance of these components that became the foundation in creating or designing a Balinese style garden. It should also be in accordance with the Hindu aesthetic concept (Dibia, 2003: 97), which consists of Satyam (truth), Siwam (holiness), and Sundaram (beauty). The concept of Hindu aesthetics that animates Tri Hita Karana, Tri Mandala, Tri Angga and Asta Dala in the arrangement of traditional Balinese gardens.
Tri Hita Karana are the three causes that give happiness, that is human relationship with God (Parhyangan), human relationship with others (Pawongan) and human relationship with its environment (Palemahan) (Gomudha, 2008: 89; Sulistyawati, 2013: 245). The concept of Tri Mandala (three acres) is also used in this concept, namely Utama Mandala (main yard) is Parhyangan or holy place. Madya Mandala (middle yard) is the area of human activity that is home yard with a number of residential buildings, kitchen, bathroom, barn, and “teba” or tegalan, while Nista Mandala is yard outside the house or jaba or yard before entering the yard of the house.
It also fulfills the elements of Tri Angga (three parts of the body), namely Ulu (head), Bada (body) and Batis (feet) (Sulistyawati, 2013: 255). Ulu (head) is a mountain, will give demands related to God Almighty, in order to obtain peace, prosperity and happiness of the inner and outer.
The body is the village with its urban place where people seek livelihood, while his feet are the oceans, the place of sanctifying all the calamities and defilements of the innate and inward.
(I Putu Gede Suyoga, I Komang Gede Santhyasa, Ida Ayu Putu Mahapatni)
Asta Dala is the eight directions of the wind direction, namely North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, and Northwest (Nala, 1992: 123; Titib, 2001: 382). Spatial pattern is divided based on the concept of natah or yard, namely “tapak dara” the axis of East-West design as the axis of religion and North-South as the axis of the earth. The right rotation of tapak dara produces Swastikayana which gives life a balanced and harmonious life eternally toward holiness.
Plant Philosophy and Placement
Cultivation of certain types of plants is important in a single yard of the house yard, ie before the entrance on the right should be planted blatung mace or cactus (Pachycereus Sp), while on the left planted dapdapwong plant (Erytherina variegata) which is believed to counteract bad intentions.
After entering the entrance, next to it is planted with bergu / weregu (Rhapis exelsa) which is believed to be able to destroy the stronger negative power, while near the kitchen is planted with Moringa (Moringaoleivera L), as an antidote of poor energy in the last radius in the yard of the house.
At the entrance of UtamaMandala (the shrine) is planted with jepun putih (white) and jepun sudamala (Plumeria rubra), which is believed to cleanse and purify all peoples entering the sacred area, as well as tulak and sisih (Phillantus Boxipolius Muell Arg), which is believed to be able to resist and set aside all good thoughts with the bad. Only the good-minded people can enter the courtyard of Mandala.
Inside the UtamaMandala planted one of them is nagasari (Mesua ferica L) is a plant that the aura of pure white and cold, so it is considered as a favorite plant of the Goddess. Own means Dragon Nagasari means the Anantaboga and Basukih binds “sininging sarining gumi and manah” (Balinese), which means the essence of the earth and the life of the mind. In addition, planted with flowers that smell good, such as: pudak, cempaka, sandat, roses, kenanga, dapdap, whistling and plants upakara purposes (means offerings) other.
Important notes for the natah area“house court”, should not be planted with phalanx plants, such as coconut, sugarcane and the like, because it is believed to cause discontinuous life and livelihood. It is also believed to have an adverse effect if planted with a banyan tree whose roots reach into the ground, because it can be a Banaspati Raja habitat where the energy is not good for human residence.
Recommended plants are better planted with plants of various types of flowers and some fruit plants, especially starfruit. Fruit plants with large trees (hardwoods) should be planted in the backyard’s area near the kitchen or outside of the other rations and preferably planted outside the home yard, such as in ‘fields or garden’.
Plants for kitchen and medicinal plants for the family (living kitchens and live pharmacies) are usually grown near the kitchen. The pattern of planting all types of plants, should still pay attention to the aesthetic value in addition to cultivation actions that are considered important for the plant to grow properly.