Lontar Manuscript
As I was going for a Balinese cultural experience, I didn’t expect anything mind-blowing. Most tours are superficial and plastic these days: they show you the factory, let you try their product, and then persuade you to buy it for double the price, right? It wasn’t the case this time. This one is called “Ancient Bali manuscript lesson on a lontar leaf”.
The way to the location lay through typical Balinese villages. My tour took place at an ordinary Balinese house hidden in the alley. It consists of several buildings: I Nyoman Widana and his brother Jro Mangku I Wayan Sutarna live there with their families. Pak Nyoman is the man who still preserves an ancient way of lontar manuscript writing. His grandfather was a priest, and he collected a lot of ancient Lontar books that contained knowledge about healing, astrology, herbal medicine, rituals, stories, and much more. Jro Mangku I Wayan Sutarnalive followed their grandfather and became a priest.
First, I changed into traditional Balinese clothes to fully emerge in this atmosphere. Then we had a little tour around the house. The hosts showed us the family temple, the room with the precious old lontar books, patiently explaining cultural peculiarities. Then it was time for the lesson.
As we were in Bali, we had to go through a ceremony first to get the blessing from Saraswati –the goddess of knowledge, art, and learning. The priest performed the ceremony with all the attributes: flowers, scents, chanting, and holy water. Even if you don’t fully understand and believe in it, observing this magical ritual is still a pleasure. It becomes a little bridge from your busy, noisy life to a serene and fulfilling experience.
When the ceremony was over, Pak Nyoman gave us an introduction to lontar manuscript history and techniques. He showed us the lontar books he was writing –carving, to be precise –and explained what they were about. I could try to vividly describe what I saw, but it won’t mean anything; the best way to understand is to see it yourself.
The Lontar books consist of not only manuscripts but drawings as well. There is a simple set of tools necessary for lontar carving: a little stand with a soft white cushion on top (they say it’s a cloud where your hands work together to create!), dried palm leaves, small carving knives, and black candlenut used as ink.
