Balinese Architecture

The Balinese base their traditional architecture on the Hindu theory of balance among Man, God and Nature. Man, seen as "Bhwana Alit" (microcosm or Small World), is expected to insert him self into his natural environment in a way which conforms to the order of the "Bhawana Agung" (mascrocosm or Large World).

According to the "Asta Kosala Kosali" manuscript, all architecture structures should thus reproduce the tripartite order of both the world and the human body. Every building and compound should have a head, a body and a lower body(genitalia, bowels and legs), corresponding to the gods, humans and demons.

The large, open Balinese temple have thus and inner sanctum, where are located the main puppet sized shrines, a middle yard for dances and "human level" ceremonies and a lower yard which is located the kitchen and where relatively impure rituals such as cock fighting take place. Similarly in the individual family compounds, the family temple is the head of the building while its body consists of the living quarters and the kitchen and lavatory are its bowels and genitalia respectively.

But Bali is no longer an agrarian society. Tourism is bringing in twice as much as agriculture and the population is relocating to the coastal areas and along the main roads, upsetting the old agrarian patterns. Tourism itself is eating up ever-larger chunks of the island. The consequences can be easily guessed: land is too scarce to allow for the preservation of the old harmony.

Attempts have been made to answer the challenge. The principle of cosmic harmony between Man, Nature and God has been made the semi-official ideology of the island-under the name of Tri Hita Karana (the three causes of happiness). Regarding tourism development policy, the regional government has tried with some success to enforce "design specifications" reflecting the Balinese concept of architecture. the construction permits of the hotels in the Nusa Dua Resort have thus all been delivered under the scrutiny of a design committee and on the condition that they display the tripartite structure. The result is sometimes surprising. The discotheque in Club Med, an obvious genitalia component, is located next to the kitchen, the resort's bowels, and very far indeed from the shrine, its head, which is located in the purest part of the compound.

Joke asede, this Balinese concern with harmony has undoubtedly contributed to the creation of a genuinely modern, yet "indigenous" type of tourism architecture. Most of the hotels of Nusa Dua will go down in history as landmarks of post-traditional architecture.

Not everything is well for the state of Bali's architectural form. Though much has been planned for the future, almost nothing has been done to preserve the architecture of the past.

More affluent now, the Balinese pull down old buildings to replace them with new ones whenever they can. Instead of the airy traditional family compound with its central yard and open living quarters under verandahs, more often than not there are now cramped rows of buildings of an undefinable style. Things are still worse with large structures. When the Balinese repair temples, gates and village halls, they often pull down invaluable architectural treasures and teplace them with similar concrete structures. The tripartite structure might have been kept intact, and thus be in accordance with the vaunted "Tri Hita Karana", but the damage is done.

Is it too lage to save Balinese traditional architecture? We hope not. The main obstacles to the conservation of the architectural heritage are cultural. Not only does the "Tri Hita Karana" ideology ignore conservation, but it also tends to soothe the minds of the Balinese. Being repeatedly told, mantra-like, that their culture is based on the principle of harmony, many Balinese refuse to even consider that this harmony is threatened. Very few are really aware of the need to preserve their architectural heritage. Accustomed to seeing themselves through the eyes of others-the tourists - they often insiston the observation of dance, which is going to change anyway, but pay little attention to architecture, which normally has a much longer life-span. Isn't it significant that Bali has a yearly Arts Festival, while next to nothing is done for its monuments?

other obstacles to architectural conservation are social. House are privately owned, and temples are owned and rules collectively by congregations whose members like the cheap style o Gianyar because it is official. Furthermore, they fell they own their temples and that no one should interfere. Imposing a conservation policy on these groups is risky and requires time. When, for example, the Indonesian government and UNESCO tried several years ago to protect "Mother Temples" of besakih, most Balinese protested as they saw it as threat to their religious liberties. A good intention was misunderstood, perhaps fo lack of information.

Whatever the obstacles, there must be ways to protect Bali's architectural treasures. Isn't it time to set up a Heritage Foundation.?