The Sanghyang Jaran sacred dance of the Puseh Sari Banjarangkan returned to be performed during the pujawali or festival at the Puseh Taman Sari Temple, Banjarangkan customary village, on Buda Umanis Medangsia or Wednesday night (Jun 29). Sanghyang Jaran is staged once a year to neutralize the earth and ward off evil (disease) for the residents of Banjarangkan Village.

This dance has the meaning of high spirituality and religiosity because it is legacy of the founder of Puseh Sari equipped with sanctified effigy of the deity in the form of a horse made of wood, along with other attributes with triple-colored sanghyang, namely the Sanghyang in White, Sanghyang in Yellow, and Sanghyang in checkered (black and white).

Chief of Banjarangkan customary village, AA Gede Dharma Putra, stated the performance of Sanghyang Jaran is carried out through a series of complex ceremonies including the wali dance because it requires a series of ceremonies to perform it. “Sanghyang Jaran is sent down or step on the motherland to neutralize the earth and repel catastrophe,” he said.

He further explained that the ritual began with a joint prayer led by the principal priest of the Puseh Sari Temple. After the prayer ended, the chanting group of sanghyang will sit cross-legged right in front of the Pengaruman shrine building and prepare incense burner (made of clay filled with coals) on a tray.

Senior figure will then polish chalk paste to make cross sign onto the bodies of the chanting group and dancers who have been possessed. When the embers are ready, the chanting group, consisting of young men and women, begins to sing the chanting of the sanghyang spirit.

Sanghyang Jaran will only take action when the song has started. The longer the tempo and the rhythm of the song gets louder, the picker (dancer) begins to lose consciousness by flapping their body like a horse. As time goes on, the dancers’ body loses control of getting into the fire.

At its peak, the dancer will jump over and trample the embers having been provided blindly. Instantly, the dancers begin to fall unconscious, throwing coals of fire and falling in the middle of the staging arena. Some of them even walk on the embers that had been scattered on the ground.

“They did not feel the heat of the coals, no one is hurt, let alone burned. That is a glimpse of the sacred Sanghyang Jaran dance performed at outermost courtyard of Baleagung Temple, Puseh Taman Sari Temple, Banjarangkan customary vllage, Klungkung,” explained this customary leader of Banjarangkan Village.

Meanwhile, chanting group returned to chant verse after verse to accompany Sanghyang Jaran coming to dance. It applies typical song that only exists at Puseh Sari Temple. From the songs chanted, it can be interpreted that Sanghyang Jaran is awakened to be invited to burrow or wander through the mind or go for a walk, and then end with the hope that everyone is happy, happy (in joy).

AA Gede Dharma Putra hoped that the Sanghyang Jaran dance will become a new milestone for the life of the people at Banjarangkan Village in the future to be more advanced, prosperous and free from various disasters. “An extreme change of seasons will result in disease and plague that will cover the earth. To prevent the spread of this disease, Sanghyang Jaran is sent down or step on the ground to neutralize the earth experiencing an imbalance,” concluded AA Gede Dharma.  (BTN/014)