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In a Balinese temple architecture, a Bhoma is a carved or formed
In Balinese mythology, Bhoma is the son of Dewa Wisnu and Dewi Pertiwi, the god of rain and the goddess of earth. One day, when Wisnu was digging the earth in the form of
Bhoma is basically the Balinese
In a Balinese temple architecture, a Bhoma is a carved or formed grotesque
Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...
which decorates certain parts in the Balinese temple complex. The statue is similar to the Javanese Kala
Kala or Kalah may refer to:
Religion Hinduism
*Kāla, a Sanskrit word meaning ''time''
*Kāla, a Hindu deity of time, destiny, death and destruction closely related to Yama and Shiva.
*Kalā, a Sanskrit word meaning ''performing arts''
* Kala Bo, ...
, and was intended to protect the temple complex from malevolent spirits.
Mythology
In Balinese mythology, Bhoma is the son of Dewa Wisnu and Dewi Pertiwi, the god of rain and the goddess of earth. One day, when Wisnu was digging the earth in the form of Varaha
Varaha ( sa, वराह, , "boar") is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.
Varaha is most commonly associated with the leg ...
, his avatar in the form of a wild boar, he encountered a beautiful earth goddess named Dewi Pertiwi. The encounter leads to a union between Wisnu and Pertiwi, which produce a terrifying son named Bhoma.
The story of Wisnu as a wild boar digging up to the bottom of the earth to meet Pertiwi symbolizes torrents of stormy rainwater entering the earth. The figure of Bhoma that was produced by this union is seen as the growth of vegetation or forest (Vanaspati
Vanaspati (Devanagari: ) is the Sanskrit word that now refers to the entire plant kingdom. However, according to ''Charaka Samhitā'' and '' Sushruta Samhita'' medical texts and the '' Vaisesikas'' school of philosophy, "vanaspati" is limited to p ...
) as a result of the earth receiving the (rain) water. In Javanese and Balinese culture, Vanaspati is the king of the plant, not different with the European Green Man
The Green Man is a legendary being primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every Spring (season), spring. The Green Man is most commonly depicted in a sculpture, or other representation of ...
. The word Bhoma came from the Sanskrit word ''bhaumá'', which means something that grows or is born from earth or something related to the earth.
Architecture
Bhoma is basically the Balinese kirtimukha
Kirtimukha (Sanskrit: कीर्तिमुख ,', also ', a bahuvrihi compound translating to "glorious face") is the name of a swallowing fierce monster face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth, very common in the iconography of Hindu temple a ...
. In Balinese temple architecture, Bhoma has the same function as the Javanese Kala
Kala or Kalah may refer to:
Religion Hinduism
*Kāla, a Sanskrit word meaning ''time''
*Kāla, a Hindu deity of time, destiny, death and destruction closely related to Yama and Shiva.
*Kalā, a Sanskrit word meaning ''performing arts''
* Kala Bo, ...
which act as a guardian spirit of the temple complex. The head of Bhoma can be found carved at the temple gate which marks the entrance to the holiest part of the shrine (paduraksa
Paduraksa, also known as kori is a type of gateway covered with towering roof that can be found in the island of Java and Bali, Indonesia. This architectural feature is commonly found in buildings from the classical Hindu-Buddhist period of Indone ...
) and at the base of the padmasana, the holiest and most central shrine in the Balinese temple.
The Padmasana is the holiest shrine in a Balinese temple complex. The padmasana is attributed to the Supreme God, the Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa
Acintya (from Sanskrit: अचिन्त्य, "the inconceivable", "the unimaginable"), also known as Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa ( Balinese: "The Divine Order") and Sang Hyang Tunggal ("The Divine Oneness"), is the Supreme God of Indonesian Hind ...
). Like many religious constructions in Indonesia, the shrine padmasana is divided into three sections, from the base to the top, the ''bhur'' (world of demons), ''bhuwah'' (world of men), and ''swah'' (world of gods). The head figure of Bhoma normally added the base of the padmasana, together with other monstrous figures e.g. the Bedawang Nala, the world-supporting turtle, and the two snakes, Anantaboga, and Basuki, a symbol of man's earthly needs. In this context, the head of Bhoma at the base of the padmasana symbolizes the forest which surrounds the foot of a mountain (''batur pepalihan'').
In some Balinese houses, the doorway to some enclosed pavilion (e.g. the '' bale meten'') is decorated with ornaments to form ventilation grill which is sometimes paneled. This is usually topped with a decorative frieze, which is sometimes carved in the form of the Bhoma's head.
The head of Bhoma is also seen in the Balinese cremation towers.
See also
*Kirtimukha
Kirtimukha (Sanskrit: कीर्तिमुख ,', also ', a bahuvrihi compound translating to "glorious face") is the name of a swallowing fierce monster face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth, very common in the iconography of Hindu temple a ...
* Batara Kala
References
Cited works
* * * {{Indonesian architecture Demons Dragons Folklore Grotesques Supernatural legends Mythological monsters Architectural history Architecture in Indonesia Balinese culture