The island of Nusa Penida which is recently dubbed as renewable energy park offers not just sites of eco-friendly electric plantation for the visitors. For hundreds of years Nusa Penida has become a favorite spiritual tourism destination for thousands of Balinese each month. One of many obligatory spiritual sanctuaries that are visited by the pilgrims is the sacred Giri Putri cave in Suana village. The mouth of the cave is strategically perched on the slope of a hill on the elevation 150 meter above the sea level, overlooking a vast blue ocean and seaweed plantations.

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On Monday night (11/19/07), my village summon the village protecting deities, a Barong which is named Ratu Ngurah Sakti and a Rangda which is revered as Ratu Istri to protect the village and all its inhabitants from the annual invasion of the king of demons, Ratu Gede Nusa and his army which spread plague and pestilence all over the island of Bali especially the south west coast of Bali. Monday (11/19/07) was chosen to be the time of summoning ritual since that day was a kajeng kliwon, an auspicious day which is believed to be full of magical power and it is occurred on the sixth month of Caka year (Kaenem), the month which is believed to be the month of invasion, the month of pestilence (this year Kaenem starts on 11/10/07 and last until 12/9/07).

The main ritual began around midnight; the protecting deities, ratu Ngurah Sakti and Ratu Istri were escorted to the main crossroad of the village. The deities stood on the center of the crossroad and given special offerings, a chicken was sacrificed for the deities. The main crossroad of the village was chosen to be the venue of ceremony since main crossroad in any Balinese village is the center of the village, the central point for community activities and ceremonial events. The crossroad is an open space where the four cardinal points meet and considered to have an extraordinary magical power as well as a strategic point to release the magical power of the deities to four cardinal points.

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The month of pestilence or the sixth month of Caka lunar calendar, popularly known as kaenem, is approaching; Kaenem usually starts late in November or early in December and last for 30 days. Balinese believe that during this month the king of demons, Ratu Gede Nusa and his general I Macaling along with thousands of demons and evil spirits set off from their abode in the island of Nusa Penida and storm the island of Bali with various pestilences and calamities. Balinese believe that this supernatural invasion is responsible for the deaths of humans or animals which are occurred during this inauspicious month.

Balinese use many ways to protect themselves from the pestilences and calamities which are spread by Ratu Gede Nusa and his army. The efforts range from erecting a bamboo gate decorated with thorny pandanus leaves on the entrance way of the village to wearing a bracelet made of tri datu thread (a set of threads consists of white, red and black thread), from presenting simple offering to taking protecting deities on a trip around the village to chase away the invading demons and evil spirits.

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Balinese believe that during the third and fourth month of Balinese Çaka calendar (around September and October in Gregorian calendar), Ratu Gede Nusa also known as Ratu Gede Mas Macaling, the leader of demons and evil spirits which resides in Nusa Penida Island invades Bali with his vast demon and evil spirit legions spreading plagues and death all over the mainland starting from the coastal areas of south Bali. Balinese will take perform various rituals and ceremonies to negate the invasion the negative effects of the invasion and the most popular way is to seek help of another divinities especially from a Barong which usually acts as protector of a certain area.

During this critical months the representative of a certain village will beg to the Barong which in charge in that area to hold a ‘malancaran’ activity to his village. The word ‘melancaran’ is a high Balinese word which means ‘strolling away from one place to another’ in this context the word ‘melancaran’ means the protective Barong and sometimes is accompanied by his consort the Rangda make a trip to the village which need their help. The melancaran is not a direct trip from the temple in which the Barong and Rangda reside to the target village but moving from a temple to another which spread along the way to the target village. Hundreds of followers will accompany the Barong and Rangda during their trip, these followers create a long merry procession accompanied by energetic Balaganjur orchestra.

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March, the third month in Gregorian calendar, is Kesanga - the ninth month in Balinese Caka calendar - the month of evil, when the evil spirits sweep the mainland of Bali. Balinese believe that these evil spirits come from the island of Nusa Penida.

A great many mainland Balinese make the trip to Nusa Penida every 210 days for the odalan (temple anniversary) for Pura Peed (this year the temple anniversary falls on Wednesday, 3/28/2007). This temple is the spookiest (“angker”) place in all of Bali. The temple complex is the really angker part of the whole island, the home of the dreaded Ratu Gede Nusa, spreader of the disease, evil, and patron saint of the leyak (witches) of Bali. The celebration is on Buda Cemeng Kelawu. The temple is the home of I Macaling, also known as Ratu gede, Ratu gede Nusa, or ratu Gede Macaling. “Macaling” comes from caling, Balinese for “fang.” Fangs are characteristic of animals, evil spirits, and the mask of “coarse” or keras characters in any sort of Balinese drama are invariably fanged.

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