![Drum Tower, Pura Taman Ayun 1495](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Drum_Tower%2C_Pura_Taman_Ayun_1495.jpg)
The bale kulkul or bale kul-kul (
Balinese "drum pavilion") is a
Balinese pavilion where a
slit-log drum (Balinese ''kulkul'') is placed. It is essentially a drum tower or a
watch tower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
. A bale kulkul can has a civic function, such as those used in villages as a mean of communication; or for religious function, an integral part of
Balinese temple
A pura is a Balinese Hindu temple, and the place of worship for adherents of Balinese Hinduism in Indonesia. Puras are built in accordance to rules, style, guidance and rituals found in Balinese architecture. Most puras are found on the island o ...
architecture.
Structure
![COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een wacht- of klokkentoren bij Denpasar TMnr 10016442](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Een_wacht-_of_klokkentoren_bij_Denpasar_TMnr_10016442.jpg)
Bale kulkul is a watchtower-like structure. It consists of a base and topped with a wooden structure where the kulkul is hanged. A roof canopy provides shelter for the kulkul. The kulkul itself is basically a
slit drum
A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of the name, it is not a true drum but an idiophone, usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top. Most slit drums have one slit ...
: a percussive device consisting of a hollow piece of timber with a slit in one side, a common device in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
. Different rhythms indicate the particular reason for the summons, for example, a meeting of household heads at the ''bale agung'' ("great pavilion", a pavilion for the congregation), a wedding, death of a person, etc. In the past, the kulkul was also sounded as a call to arms. A bale kulkul varies in design according to the wealth of the builder.
There are many kinds of bale kulkul. A bale kulkul used for civic function is usually found in Balinese villages (''banjar''). The kulkul of this kind of bale kulkul is known as Kulkul Manusia ("kulkul of human"). Kulkul Manusia can be constructed of any type of wood, usually
teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...
wood or wood of a
jackfruit tree. In its simplest construction, this bale kulkul consists of a plinth-base of hardened earth, topped with a wooden structure which provides the height, topped with a pavilion where the kulkul is kept. In a village, this bale kulkul is built in a strategic area where the villagers can be summoned.
In Balinese temples, the bale kulkul usually found straddling onto a wall corner. It is usually constructed of masonry structure and heavily decorated with mythic figures. The base of a temple bale kulkul reaches significant height, and is divided into three levels from bottom to top: ''tepas'', ''batur'', and ''sari''. The ''tepas'' level represents the underworld realm ''bhur'' (Sanskrit ''bhurloka'') and is decorated with figures of giant creatures. The ''batur'' level represents the realm of the human ''bhuwah'' (Sanskrit ''bhuvarloka'') and is decorated with animals. The ''sari'' level represents the realm of gods ''swah'' (Sanskrit ''svarloka'') and is decorated with birds and other celestial figures. On top of the swah level is the wooden pavilion where the kulkul is kept. A large bale kulkul in
Mengwi
Mengwi is a district (''kecamatan'') in the Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia and also covers Bali's heaviest tourist regions, situated to the north of Kuta District and North Kuta District (including Seminyak
Seminyak is a mixed tourist resi ...
subdistrict is constructed of ochre-colored brickwork with ''paras'' stone ornamentation and decorated with mythic figures such as the head of
Bhoma
In a Balinese temple architecture, a Bhoma is a carved or formed grotesque which decorates certain parts in the Balinese temple complex. The statue is similar to the Javanese Kala, and was intended to protect the temple complex from malevolent s ...
, celestial goddesses, and lion-like effigies. There are two kinds of kulkul the temple's bale kulkul, ''Kulkul Dewa'' ("kulkul of the gods") and Kulkul Bhuta ("kulkul of the bhutas"). ''Kulkul Dewa'' is always made of the wood of jackfruit tree and is struck in a very slow rhythm to call the gods. Kulkul bhuta is made of bamboo and is struck to summon the Bhuta kala (demons).
The pavilion where the kulkul is hanged is usually a four-posted wooden structure topped with a pyramidal-shaped roof. Larger temple bale kulkul has the roof of its pavilion supported with eight posts, which supports two layers of roof. The frame is usually of timber. The roof can be of a thatched material or of clay pantiles. The top of the roof may be decorated with a ''kemuncak''
finial
A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature.
In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...
.
History and evolution
![Moon of Pejeng, Pura Penataran Sasih 1462](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Moon_of_Pejeng%2C_Pura_Penataran_Sasih_1462.jpg)
Bale kulkul is an ancient architectural feature of Indonesia, predating the arrival of
Hinduism in Indonesia
Hinduism in Indonesia, as of the 2018 census, is practised by about 1.74% of the total population, and almost 87% of the population in Bali. Hinduism is one of the six official religions of Indonesia. Hinduism came to Indonesia in the 1st-cent ...
. A bale kulkul at the
Pura Penataran Sasih
Pura Penataran Sasih is a Hindu temple in Pejeng village, Bali.
It was founded, according to a modern chronogram displayed at the entrance, in 1266 AD,
and served as the state temple of the Pejeng Kingdom, 1293 - 1343 AD.
Significant featur ...
at
Pejeng
Pejeng is a village in Bali, Indonesia, in the Petanu River valley. It is a bit east of Ubud in Gianyar Regency. It is home to the Moon of Pejeng, the largest single-cast bronze kettle drum in the world. Pejeng is a rural area with extensive, ...
village contains an approximately 2,000 years-old bronze drum, the
Moon of Pejeng
The Moon of Pejeng, also known as the Pejeng Moon, in Bali is the largest single-cast bronze kettle drum in the world. and "the largest known relic from Southeast Asia's Bronze Age period."Rita A. Widiadana,Get in touch with Bali's cultural herit ...
. The Moon of Pejeng is the world's largest and most complete type of drum known as the Pejeng type drums which have been found in Bali and
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
. This suggests that these towers were kept alive throughout the Hindu-Buddhist period and persisting in the Islamic era of Indonesian civilization.
With the arrival of
Islam in Indonesia
Islam is the largest religion in Indonesia, with 86.7% of the Indonesian population identifying themselves as Muslim in a 2018 survey. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority country, with approximately 231 million adherents.
In ...
in Java, a bale kulkul-like structure in 15th-century Java was still used as a sign to congregate villagers, but this time as a call for prayer. The
Menara Kudus Mosque
The Menara Kudus Mosque or Al-Aqsha Mosque is located in Kudus, Kudus, Kudus in the Indonesian province of Central Java. Dating from 1549, it is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, built at the time of The spread of Islam in Indonesia, Islam' ...
in the city of
Kudus,
Central Java
Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
contains a bale kulkul-like structure that is used as a mean to call for prayer. Unlike the Middle Eastern minaret, the "minaret" of the Menara Kudus Mosque is topped with a drum called
bedug
The ''bedug'' (Indonesian and Malaysian ms, beduk, italic=yes; jv, bedhug, italic=yes; su, dulag, italic=yes) is one of the drums used in the gamelan. It is also used among Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia to signal mosque prayer times. The h ...
. The minaret of the Menara Kudus Mosque is currently the only structure of this type, but it may be more widespread in the past.
In modern time, the structural form of bale kulkul is used for different function, such as security post. Generator room, lift shaft, garage, water tower, and storage may imitate the traditional bale kulkul.
See also
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Balinese architecture
Balinese architecture is a vernacular architecture tradition of Balinese people that inhabits volcanic island of Bali, Indonesia. The Balinese architecture is a centuries-old architectural tradition influenced by Balinese culture developed from Hi ...
*
Balinese traditional house
Balinese traditional house refers to the traditional vernacular house of Balinese people in Bali, Indonesia. The Balinese traditional house is the product of a blend of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, fused with Austronesian animism, resulting in a ...
References
Cited works
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{{Indonesian architecture
Balinese culture
Architecture in Indonesia