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Layout of the Compound

The initial stage of construction, when the overall dimensions of the compound are marked out and the plan of the different structures-and their relative position to one another-are laid out on the ground, is critical for determining both the character of the buildings erected and the potential fate of those who will occupy them.

Grid Layout of the Compound

Conceptually, the Balinese residential compound can be divided in accordance with the nawa-sanga scheme of things into nine squares consisting of the eight cardinal directions and the center. The family shrines are positioned in the most auspicious corner of the compound, “toward the mountains” (kaja) and “to the east” (kangin). The sleeping pavilion (meten) of the householder, which is the next most important building in the compound, is positioned immediately to the west of the family temple, which reflects not only the senior position of the family head but also his relative proximity to the ancestors in terms of descent.

As noted earlier, measurement and orientation play a crucial role in Balinese architecture. The first set of dimensions that must be determined, once the site of the compound has been selected, is its length and width overall. The basic unit of measurement employed here is the distance between the fingertips of the two hands when the arms are fully outstretched on either side of the body (depa). The sum of the lengths of two sides must add up to an odd number of these units, and their difference in length, when one is subtracted from the other, should also be an odd number of units. If there is a mistake in the measurements and their sum or difference happens to be an even number of units, it is said that the compound is “without doors,” “closed” or “blocked.” It is also said to be “like a body without a soul,” in other words “dead” (mati). The explanation given is that a compound without doors provides no access for the gods and at the same time prevents the expulsion of malevolent influences. Such a site cannot support life, hence its designation as moribund.

Site Rituals

The various stages of construction and the eventual occupancy date are determined by auspicious dates in the Balinese calendar. Construction is inaugurated by the rite of suci daksina peras ajuman panyeneng, which is intended to purify the site. This rite involves placing supplicatory offerings at the “mountain” (kaja) end of the compound. A similar offering is also placed at the kelod end to placate malevolent spirits and other harmful agencies (buta kala). Each subsequent stage of construction must be accompanied by further offerings to negate malign influences.

Layout of the Compound

The first part of the building to be constructed after the inaugural rites have been conducted by the local priest are the walls of the compound. Once these are completed, temporary shrines are erected in the place where the family temple will eventually be built.

Work then starts on laying out the rest of the compound in accordance with the spatial precepts of the Balinese compass rose, or nawa-sanga (p. 5), which provides a framework for the proper orientation of buildings. The compass rose can be seen in terms of a grid consisting of a rectangle, corresponding to the perimeter wall of the compound, subdivided into nine “squares.” Each square represents one of the eight cardinal and intercardinal points of the compass, while the ninth square occupies the center of the rose.

Deities and Dimensions

Units of Measurement	Deity	Status or Attribute	Compass Direction
One	(Dewi) Sri	Goddess of Rice	Kaja-kangin
Two	Indra	Lord of the Heavens	Kangin
Three	Guru	Supreme Teacher	kelod-kangin
Four	Yama	Lord of Hell	Kelod
Five	Rudra	Dissolver of Life	Kelod-kauh
Six	Brahma	God of Fire	Kauh
Seven	Kala	Lord of Darkness	Kaja-kauh
Eight	Uma	Mother of all Nature	Kaja

Distance and Position

The first building to be erected in the compound is the householder’s sleeping pavilion (meten). All subsequent structures are laid out in relation to this starting-out point. The distance between the different buildings in the compound, and their position and proximity to the compound’s walls, is critical.

The principal unit of measurement employed is the length of the house owner’s foot (tampak), and again the number of units for a particular dimension is calculated by reference to the Balinese compass rose. The system works as follows: each of the four cardinal points—and their intermediaries—are associated with a particular deity in the Balinese Hindu pantheon, and as the compound is measured out in paces, the names of the deities are recited (p. 6). A single pace is identified with the rice goddess Dewi Sri, two paces with Indra, three paces with Guru, and so on until one arrives at eight paces (Uma), whereupon the cycle begins again.

Each deity in the Balinese Hindu pantheon is also associated with one of the cardinal directions and a particular set of attributes (see table, p. 12) that together determine the number of units employed in setting out the dimensions of individual buildings. The householder’s sleeping pavilion, for example, is the most important structure in the compound after the family temple, and for this reason it has to be be located at the kaja end of the compound.

In southern Bali, where most of the island’s population live, kaja roughly corresponds to north, this being the direction of the central mountain range. Consequently, the sleeping pavilion should be placed eight tampak, or multiples thereof, from the kaja-most wall, because the number eight is associated with the deity Uma, who in this scheme of things is identified with the north. The cookhouse, or kitchen, on the other hand, should be set out at a distance of six tampak, or multiples thereof, to the south of the house owner’s pavilion since the number six is identified with Brahma, who is, in turn, associated with fire and with the hearth.

Similar considerations apply for all other structures in the compound. Their relative positions must be carefully worked out in order to ensure that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.

Position of the Entrance

The main entrance to the Balinese compound should ideally be placed on the west (kauh) side and at the seaward (kelod) end. For various reasons this is not always possible, in which case the “blind” wall (aling-aling) that stands just behind the doorway is designed so that anyone coming into the compound must first proceed toward the kelod-kauh end before they reach the center of the compound around which the main buildings are arranged.

The aling-aling is built directly behind the compound entrance, screening off the interior and obstructing malevolent influences.

Layout of the Compound

1 Temporary family shrine

2 Meten

3 Paon

4 Entrance and aling-aling wall