I took this photograph while visiting Ulun Danu Lake Temple, and I was drawn to the subject because of the beautiful design, the rusted nails, and the tattered cloth. I wish I could remember exactly where in the compound I found it. I do think it was upon entering one of the doorways, and it was barely noticeable. Photography trains the eye thankfully, and I could tell it was something significant. But why? I wasn’t sure when I took the photograph, but after coming home and looking up many things about Balinese culture, I remembered that the directional compass that most of us know (North, South, East, West) is not the same in Bali.
The research on this ornate symbol took me all over the internet with several fruitless results, but I finally found what I was looking for. This design is a Nawa-Sanga, or the Balinese compass rose. I found a great explanation in the book Introduction to Balinese Culture by Julian Davison. This is from page 5 of the book:
“The Balinese compass rose…stems from the four cardinal direction, their intermediaries, and the central area. Each point is linked to a particular deity—Hindu in Origin—and has symbolic and ritual associations, such as corresponding numbers, colors, magical syllables, and mystical attributes. The compass rose provides a comprehensive framework for the proper orientation of buildings.”
What I stumbled upon was the symbol of proper positioning as one navigates the world—literally and figuratively in Balinese life. I know that a compass is a compass, but in this particular way, a whole society works to live in harmony with the world. It’s not just “I am here,” (I think of those maps with an arrow pointing to where one is standing precisely) but it’s more like “here I am in relation to the rest of the world.”
To learn more, see the book I’m referencing online. While it took a good bit of time to find my image, I’m so thankful some diligence paid off. I do hope that somehow I am part of the” linear axis” of Balinese design, even though I know I’m perhaps beyond the boundaries of the villages I admired. Regardless, my heart continues to swell in reflection.
Source:
https://books.google.com/books?id=vyCF_UoqMAgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
