바타라 칼라

DeityIndonesia · Southeast AsiaMythFear 10/10

Description

자바 신화의 시간과 파괴의 신. 시바의 아들로, 인간을 잡아먹는 거대한 존재. 아이가 태어날 때 루왓(정화 의식)을 하지 않으면 바타라 칼라에게 잡혀간다고 전해진다.

Origin & Background

According to legend, Batara Kala is the son of Batara Guru (Shiva in Javanese mythology). Batara Guru has a very beautiful wife named Dewi Uma (Parvati). One day, Batara Guru was caught up in uncontrollable desire and forcibly approached Dewi Uma. They had relations on the sacred dwarf Nandi. This act embarrassed Uma, and she cursed both of them into the form of a terrifying and ugly ogre. This fearsome form of Dewi Uma is also known as Durga in Hinduism. In this relationship, Batara Kala was born in the form of the ogre. Another origin story states that he was conceived when a drop of Shiva's semen was swallowed by a fish.

The Legend

Batara Kala is the god of death in traditional Javanese and Balinese mythology, ruling over it with Setesuyara in a cave. He is also known as the creator of light and earth, and as the god of time, he is depicted as a being that devours the unfortunate. Batara Kala was sent to earth by the gods to punish human vices, but he was only interested in devouring humans to satisfy his appetite. Consequently, the gods summoned Batara Kala from the earth. Afterward, he became the ruler of the underworld along with the goddess Setesuyara. Traditionally, the Javanese people seek his favor as the god of time and destruction, especially to prevent misfortune for children.

In Popular Culture

Traditionally, Batara Kala plays an important role in conducting the ruwatan exorcism ceremony for children born in 'unfortunate' circumstances. These ceremonies typically include wayang (Javanese shadow puppet theater) performances and selamatan feasts.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Batara Kala" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia