Kamben Geringsing are of great importance for Balinese, irrespective of whether they are used for black or white magic. It is hardly surprising, then, even the ruler of early kingdom in East Java sought to avail themselves of the service of Tengananese textile specialist whose mysterious cloths were employed to maintain and augment their power. Close study of iconography of the geringsing wayang reveals striking comparisons with East Javanese temple relief of the 13th and 14th centuries. Especially the relief of Candi Jagahu (near Singosari), Candi Penataran (near Blitar), and Candi Tigawangi (near Pare) show amazing similarities with the representations of priests and heroes on geringsing wayang kebo and wayang putri. Other fabrics shows pattern which are reminiscent of western Indian patola textiles, which also enjoyed great popularity in Hindu- Javanese court circles at this time.
The well-known Pararaton chronicle and a poem called Rangga Lawe ( two East Javanese text telling of the first king of Majapahit, Wijaya) both relate that the king gave his warriors geringsing clothing prior to battle. In the Pararaton, five soldiers were given trousers of geringsing materials; in the Rangga Lawe all the warriors provided with sashes called cawet geringsing. The magical potency of double ikat of Tenganan clearly seems to have worked beyond the borders of Bali at a very early date, which is hardly surprising in view of the close cultural ties that existed between Bali and East Java in the early 10th century, and of the colonization of Bali by Majapahit after 1343. Geringsing lubeng with its powerful star pattern on a bright red background was particularly esteemed as the emblem and wardrobe of kings. Still today, this pattern is held to possess the highest prestige in Tenganan. Its aesthetic attraction and power has recently gained a reputation all over Bali. Endek cloth with geringsing patterns have become a real fashion hit.
The identity and origin of figures represented in geringsing wayang kebo and wayang puteri, which so clearly reflect East Javanese style, pose questions of great interest for the cultural historian. One possible answer is that these fabrics, which are seldom worn in Tenganan, were originally designed and produced as commissioned works to meet the religious needs of East Javanese and Javano-Balinese courts. The form and content of wayang kulit.(shadow play) are not known in the native village culture of Tenganan. On the other hand, the most popular of all Javano-Balinese kings, Dalem Batu Renggong, is reported to have clothed himself in geringsing wayang for his coronation.
Outside Tenganan, fabrics of wayang type are still preferred today for use in the rites of passage celebrated by noble families, for example as cloth in which to wrap the pillow during a tooth filling, or as a shroud to cover the body of the deceased before cremation. In many regions in Bali and among Balinese in Lombok, geringsing wayang are suspended as a ceiling beneath the highest roof of towers used for transportation of a corpse. Fragments of magical geringsing cloth are also hung on sacred weapons or spread as an underlay for offerings, in the same way as wangsul/gedogan. In many old Balinese villages of east Bali, as well as in the famous temple of Samuantiga near Bedulu, the sedans chairs of the gods are swathed in geringsing wayang. When men perform the old baris war dances at temple festivals or death rituals (Badung, Tabanan, Buleleng), their wardrobe is often completed with the aggressive and at the same time defensive double ikat cloth from Tenganan.
Various myths, legends, and historical document suggest that the creators of kamben geringsing have not occupied their present site from ” time immemorial.” On the contrary, the story generally goes that the ancestors of the Tengananese—the Wong Peneges or inhabitants of the original Balinese village created by the god Indra—came here from the distant past from the kingdom of Bedahulu in east Bali in search of royal horse that had escaped. Royal edicts from 11th century show that, at this time, the settlement of “Tranganan” was still located on the coast of Candi Dasa , and that the inhabitants had close links with Javanese ambassador and religious reformer Empu Kuturan, who lived only a few kilometers away in Silayukti (near modern-day Padangbai). In an important lontar (palm leaf) historical text preserved in the Jero Gede of Sidemen, the Babad Bali Pulina, there is also an account of close relations between the Bali Aga of “Tranganan” and Kuturan. At the same time, the reader of this chronicle finds the intriguing statement that a sect dedicated to Indra landed on the coast at Candi Dasa following a ship wreck.
In point of fact, relics even carried now in a procession from the bale agung of Tenganan to the Sembangan temple in the northen part of the village, are said to be fragments of the raft that brought the ancestors of Tenganan across the sea and broke up and sank shortly before landing. A sea-mindedness, which clearly distinguishes the Tengananese with the mountain-mindedness of the other Balinese, is suggested by other two cultural elements. The original altar (sanggah kamulan) of all house compounds in Tenganan is oriented in the direction of the sea not towards the volcanoes and the sunrise (kaja-kangin), as in other Balinese villages. Secondly, the people of Tenganan do not practice cremation. Once the sun is past its zenith, the body is carried to the cemetery, where it is undressed and placed naked in the grave, the head face down, pointing in the direction of the sea.
Genetic and medical research begun in 1978 by a team of Indonesian and Swiss scientists in Tenganan Pegeringsingan has even suggested the possibility that the people of Tenganan originally came to Bali from India, either direct by sea or via Java. Tests have revealed that 18 inhabitants of the village have in their blood a special enzyme LHD Calcutta I, which is characteristic of Indian and otherwise exceptionally rare outside India. The supposition that Indra’s sect may be Vedict emigrants from India is bolstered by ethnographic findings. The most important ritual month of Tenganan coincides with the winter solstice. The complex swinging ritual that takes place at this time is strongly reminiscent of ancient Vedict swinging rites, which also take place at the time of solstice (mahavrata) and are devoted to the god Indra, linking together heaven and earth. Moreover, our own surveys of textile technology in connection with double ikat do not, a priori, rule out an Indian origin, especially from Andhra and Orissa.
Refference : The Theater Of The Universe
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