The palace of the second Puputan of Badung where the co-reigning prince of Badung, Gusti Ngurah Made Pamecutan, with his family and faithful followers died on 20 September 1906 between 16.00 and 17.00 in the afternoon.

A scene from Puputan in Pamecutan, where the old prince of Pamecutan, Gusti Gde Ngurah Pamecutan with his family and faithful followers found death on the square not far from the Puri (palace). One sees the gold sedan chair in the middle of scores of dead people in the foreground on the right hand of the photo.

Photo source : Museum Bali

The disembarkment of troops of The Netherlands Indies Expedition army from one of transport ships on the roadstead of Pabean Sanur, 14 September 1906

Photo source : Museum Bali

The mortal remains of the prince of Badung, Gusti Gde Ngurah Denpasar after the Puputan was carried by several faithful followers to the Puri (palace). The mortal remains is seen lying on a litter covered with mats. 20 September 1906

Photo source : Museum Bali

The main temple of Trunyan, Pura Pancering Jagat, is known locally as the ‘temple of the navel of the world’ and stands by an ancient banyan tree that is said to be over 1000 years old. The name of this temple is derived from the megalithic statue known as Arca Da Tonta or Ratu Gede Pusering Jagat.

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THE NAME OF THE CEREMONY IS DESCRIPTIVE, but hardly explanatory. This is, perhaps, why the wife of a visiting foreign dignitary, when told of this practice, exclaimed: “Oh, do they still do that here?”

Yes, they still do that in Bali. To everyone. But do not confuse tooth filing with some sinister vision of Dracula-like sharpened teeth. In fact, the procedure produces just the opposite, dulling the front teeth to diminish the savage characteristics of their owner. The ceremony is called matatah, £rom the word natah, to “chisel” or “carve”. The same word in high Balinese is mapandes, and another common synonym is masangih, from sangih, to “file”. Sometimes the Indonesian potong gigi - “to cut teeth” - will be used. The person who files the teeth is called sangging, the same word used for “painter” or “artist”.

Tooth filing, together with prenatal rites, birth ceremonies, various ceremonies for the young baby, and marriage, is one of the rituals known as manusa yadnya. These are an important category of the Panca Yadna (”Five Rituals”) that every Balinese Hindu absolutely must have performed to insure an orderly transition of his or her spirit from birth to death and later reincarnation. Six to 18 years old is considered the best age for tooth filing - before marriage, bJ.lt for girls, after the first menstruation. Better late than never though, and it is not unusual for people in their 60s to have their teeth filed. If a person dies before having held the ceremony, the family sometimes has it done to the corpse before burial. It is that necessary.

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Museum Bali is one of the Technical Executing Units of the Bali Cultural Office of which functions are to collect, research, conserve, and exhibit the cultural objects for the purposes of education, study and recreation.

It is located at the center of Denpasar city, exactly on Mayor Wisnu Street, on the Jagatnatha Temple, stretching out from north to south approximately 140 meters with its entrance gate faces to the west or to Mayor Wisnu Street that is closed for the public transportation except for the museum visitors.

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