I found this in the Jakarta Post this week, but due to a severe bout of Gastro-Enteritis my mind has been otherwise focused. (Further details on this situation have been kept secret in the interest of dignity, I await that moment when I can fart and cough with impunity!)
Once again, Bali demonstrates it's unique way of problem solving in ways that we would consider "off the wall"
It has to be considerd that the Hindu Religion views rats differently from other religions and kiling and poisoning are considered last resorts.(See below with Ganesh the Elephant God astride a Rat) Another factor is that the Balinese have been eradicating the natural predators in the fields (Snakes and Owls) by either killing them (in the case of snakes) or stealing the young from nests (Owls for sale)
How to tame rats, the spiritual way
The procession moved slowly along a narrow path through the middle of a flat landscape filled with rows of rice fields on the outskirts of Riang Gede village, Tabanan. The atmosphere of the procession was a bit somber.
It wasn't a procession to mark a religious festivity or a temple's anniversary. On the contrary, the procession on Aug. 1 was part of a ritual to save the rice fields from the ongoing terror of rats infestation.
Despite its somber overtone, the procession, with dozens of Balinese in traditional attires and carrying colorful offerings, set against the clear blue sky and the green rice field was simply mesmerizing.
A few meters behind the front tip of the procession, Ida Cokorda Anglurah Tabanan sat solemnly on a wooden throne resting upon the shoulders of several men. He is the current traditional ruler of the regency and the direct descendant of the Tabanan kingdom founder.
A large number of Balinese still believe that their royalties, particularly the kings and their direct descendants, possess supernatural powers that set them apart from common people.
The powers were bestowed upon them by the divine deities that protect the kingdom. Physical invincibility, which renders a king immune to any weapon, and the ability to ward off plagues are among the most common supernatural powers attributed to kings.
That afternoon, Ida Cokorda Anglurah Tabanan, re-enacted the role of his ancestors to protect his people from a plague that threatened their crops.
As the procession moved on, Ida Cokorda Anglurah Tabanan repeatedly sprinkled tirta (holy water) on the ground and rice fields around him.
Earlier in the morning, the tirta was empowered in a brief ritual at the village's temple. In the ritual, all the villagers prayed together, imploring the gods and deities to transfer their powerful blessings to the tirta.
When the ritual ended, the villagers were ready to start the procession, which forms the main part of the Nangluk Merana (literally means to conquer the pests).
"The ritual is our last effort to cope with the rats that destroyed our last harvest," the Bendesa (chief of traditional customary village) Riang Gede, Wayan Sudiarsa told The Jakarta Post.
He said that during the last harvest, the farmers were only able to salvage 30 percent of their total crops.
"I usually manage to get one ton of rice from my 25 acres of rice field. However, in the last harvest I only get 300 kilograms of rice," said a farmer, Wayan Artawa.
The village has a population of 730 households and most of the families' livelihood are heavily dependent on the village's 270 hectares of rice fields.
The rats infestation didn't end last harvest. Instead, it has been intensifying over the last three months.
"We planted new seeds three weeks ago, but most of the seeds have been eaten by the rats," the head of Riang Gede administrative village Dewa Gede Putu Arya said.
The ritual, according to Arya, was the village's last resort.
"We have done everything we can, from chasing and killing the rats to using poison. But nothing has worked so far. So today we are conducting the Nangluk Merana ritual to ask to the deities to help us control the rats," he said.
He added that most Balinese believed that if they could not settle a problem by sekala (the physical, real world) ways, they should try niskala (the unseen, spiritual) ways.
He added that the village had conducted similar rituals several times in the past and they had proven to be effective.
"Our ancestors have conducted similar ritual years ago and believe it or not it had always succeeded in taming the rats," he said.
"We hope this ritual will also work this time,"
The more I find out about Bali, the more it intrigues me.....
D, this is the proper link.
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J
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