Sanghyang Deling Dance (Tari Sanghyang Deling Bali)

Sanghyang Deling Dance is performed by girls who are still teenagers. The unseen force or holy spirit of Dewi Sri as the Goddess of Fertility is invited to enter the dancer's body. This sacred dance is intended as a repellent reinforcement’s ritual against disease outbreaks and disasters, asking for salvation and fertility of agricultural crops.

Sanghyang Deling is manifested into a sacred object in the form of a pair of puppets (dolls) that represent male and female aspects, made of sandalwood and palm leaves. These puppet dolls are connected by a rope which ends tied to wooden rods and equipped with bells.

This sacred tradition is carried out by people in the Lake Batur area (Abangsongan), Kintamani, Bangli Regency. This ritual is held in response to the emergence of diseases that attack residents and also the occurrence of crop failure.

On the guidance of the ancestors (pawisik), the tradition of the Sanghyang Deling was performed once again. A certain ceremony is carried out before the dance performance. After that, various diseases that previously appeared can be cured and agricultural crops flourish with successful harvest. It is stated that this ritual has been carried out again since 1958.

Sanghyang Deling is carried from its place, while the temple priest recites prayers (subtle dialogue) and performs certain rituals. Two men sit cross-legged with wooden dulang in front of them. Each was holding a wooden rod of the sacred object and placed them on the dulang. The girls knelt near it, wafted with incense smoke, and slowly fall unconscious.

The chorus group started singing "Gending Sanghyang Deling" and the two men started vibrating the wooden sticks. The puppets that are connected by ropes start swinging (sometimes jumping) follow the rhythm of singing. After some time, the girls were led to hold the wooden rod in a trance.

Entering the end, the girls tapped on the dulang several times, then the sacred dance ended and Sanghyang Deling was returned to its place. After the dance is finished, tirta or holy water that is prayed for during the ritual is distributed to the residents. The holy water is then sprinkled for healing and also for their agricultural crops.

Reference

1. google.co.id
2. wikipedia.org _ Sanghyang _ on February 18, 2021
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanghyang
3. Rubin, Leon; Sedana, I. Nyoman (2007). "Performance in Bali". Routledge. ISBN: 1134324219, 9781134324217. Retrieved January 18, 2021.

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