Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE TALE OF MEN AND PAN BRAYUT
Blessed - or lumbered - with eighteen children,
Men and Pan Brayut
(“Mother and Fath-
er Brayut”) may be desperately poor, but their scrapes are typical of any Balinese family.
So goes the popular Balinese folk tale that has inspired countless artists, including the mur-
al painters of Semarapura's Bale Kambang hall, the Ubud artist
I Gusti Nyoman Lempad
and the stonecarvers of Pura Dalem Jagaraga, near
Singaraja
. The fullest account of the
couple's story is related in an epic
poem
called
Gaguritan Brayut
, housed in Singaraja's
Gedong Kirtya library.
According to one version of the
story
, the reason that Men Brayut has so many children
is her uncontrollable appetite. When hungry, she gets irritable and rows with her husband,
Pan Brayut. After fighting, the couple always make up in the time-honoured fashion -
hence the constantly expanding clan. Another version puts the size of the family down to
Pan Brayut's insatiable desire for his wife, which he acts upon regardless of place or cir-
cumstance.
Men Brayut is both full-time mother and part-time weaver, so her husband does most of
the domestic chores; these scenes from daily life - cleaning the yard, cooking ceremonial
dishes - feature in many paintings. Eventually, after all their hard parenting, Men and Pan
Brayut renounce the material world and enter a retreat (still common practice, especially
among elderly Balinese men), leaving their home and its contents to be divided among the
children.
Although illustrations of the Brayut story always emphasize its
Hindu
elements, with lots
of scenes showing offerings and temple ceremonies, Men Brayut is also associated with
Buddhist
lore. In this mythology she is said to have evolved from an evil ogress named
Hariti who spent her time devouring children until she converted to Buddhism and became
not only a protector of children but also a fertility goddess. Statues of Men Brayut in her
Hariti manifestation can be found at Goa Gajah, near Ubud, and at the temple in Candid-
asa.
Kamasan
As the home of the original nineteenth-century Kerta Gosa artists, and the source of subse-
quent generations of restorers and commercial artists, the village of
KAMASAN
, just out-
side Semarapura, has given its name to the classical school of art with which it is so closely
associated. Numerous artists have open studios in their homes in the village, particularly in
the neighbourhood of
Banjar Sanging
, the turning to which is 500m south and east of Se-
marapura's Kelod bemo terminal, from where it's another 500m or so. Among the most fam-
ous local names here are
I Nyoman Mandra
and
Ni Made Suciarmi
. Most of the work on
