The Regularity Of The Twin Formation Of Bale Agung Across Balinese Architectural Civilizations

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the formation of Bale Agung from the Bali Mule era to the present. Bale Agung is the forerunner of Village Temple (Pura Desa) in Bali that initially had a profane social function. The methods applied were morphology in architecture and hermeneutic phenomenology for the interpretation of meanings. Morphological study technique was employed to examine formation related to the dimensions of time and space. The research locations representing the civilizations of Bali Mule, Bali Aga, Mpu Kuturan, Majapahit, Colonial, Independence to present were determined with purposive sampling. The results showed that Bale Agung with a twin spatial formation in Bali has existed since the Bali Mule civilization in the ancient villages of Sembiran, Julah, Trunyan, Tenganan, Bugbug. Bale Agung signified a profane community and functioned as a meeting room for the local community. The paradigm of the community at that time was worshiping nature (cosmocentric). The spatial formation of Bale Agung in the Bali Aga civilization also showed a regularity of the twin spatial formation. During the Mpu Kuturan civilization, the twin formation still existed, but  Bale Agung's location was moved into the Madya Mandala (middle part) zone of a temple which functioned as the rest area (bale pesandekan) during the Ida Bethara Turun Kabeh ceremony that occurs during a melasti ritual before the holy day of Nyepi. In the Bali Aga civilization, development towards theocentric had appeared. In the Majapahit to independence civilizations, Bale Agung did not experience significant changes and, until now, shows the regularity of spatial formation that is twins in pairs in the Madya Mandala zone of Village Temples while showing a development towards anthropocentric due to the increasing number of Hindus.