Balinese Masks: A Guide to know Their Sacred Meanings and Roles

You should agree that Bali is one of the most art-rich places in the world. It’s not only the music, dances, drama, paintings, but also the sacred Balinese masks.

If you have ever come to Bali, you may have seen there are so many shops that sell beautiful masks that are identical to Balinese art or you may have seen dance or drama performances wearing masks. But don’t get it wrong, the masks that they wear are not the masks you see in the shops.

The Sacred Meaning of the Balinese Traditional Mask

The Balinese masks are more than just art. It has a deep spiritual meaning behind it and is used for certain purposes in Bali. It is rooted from the animism and dynamism believed in the past. For Balinese people, the Balinese mask is a sacred and holy Barong object. Balinese people believe that Gods are present in all things.

Therefore, the ancient Balinese created stunning “houses” for the spirits and transcendental energies to live in. In short, the masks are a medium for the ancestral spirits and other spirits to live and visit the physical world, as it symbolize the divine being or energies in a physical form.

Photo source: Cylon Fingers

The Making of Balinese Masks

Artisans use scented woods like ylang and pule to craft Balinese masks, undergoing various sculpting stages akin to rituals. The mask maker, known as undagi tapel, must adhere to specific rules during the creation process. Therefore, the making of Balinese masks takes time.

In making the masks, the undagi tapel uses various kinds of tools to design and craft the mask. The manufacturing time depends on the design, materials, and the type of mask made. For example, the animal masks take a long time and more money to make. The undagi carefully craft their work using goat skin, buffalo hair, and boar’s teeth, requiring precision and skill in every detail.

Photo source: Matthew Gordon

The Balinese Mask’s Designs

The Balinese masks’ designs consist of various shapes and sizes. It depicts human faces, Gods, animals, and supernatural beings. Some masks depicture emotions such as anger, calmness, or even being in love. Different designs of the mask are used on different occasions.

Emphasizing the intended characteristics is a key aspect of crafting the design. For example, firm face masks to describe fighters, old-face masks to depict elder humans, queen masks represent the nobility. On the other hand, there are also Balinese masks that portray ugly, fangs, and eyes-wide-open figures like Calonarang that symbolize wickedness.

And the unique one is Balinese masks that depict transitional creatures between humans and giants with rough tempers. Otherwise, there are also the ones that describe delicate characters named topeng Telek.

Photo source: Peter

Can I Have My Own Bali Mask?

In contemporary times, Balinese masks have proliferated as souvenir items, despite their traditional use in specific ceremonies and celebrations, storage in sacred locations, and involvement in special rituals. Certainly, these masks differ from the sacred ones, requiring careful placement in cotton bags and preservation within a temple for safekeeping. Instead, the masks that you can have are the ones that are crafted for decorative purposes like decorating the wall of your house. Therefore, it does not need the same treatment as the sacred one.

Photo source: Colin Charles

Various Types of Balinese Masks and Their Meanings

Balinese masks are much more than an artistic creation of an artist. All of them contain their own stories, characters and spiritual meanings. You may see them during temple rituals, dance performances and other festive events in villages and cities of the island. Below you may find descriptions of some of them:

1. Barong Mask

Barong is a great character for Balinese people who symbolizes the good, positivity and protecting force. He performs in the well-known Barong dance with another character called Rangda in which the eternal struggle of good and evil is being demonstrated. The mask has lion-like appearance, various carvings, vivid color combinations and expressive wide eyes.

2. Rangda Mask

Rangda is the opposite character to Barong. He is associated with darkness and destructive forces of the world and represents chaos and dark magic. The mask has wild appearance with long hair, bulging eyes and fangs. It always has a scary grin on its face.

3. Topeng Masks (Topeng Pajegan and Topeng Panca)

“Topeng” is a word in Indonesian for “mask.” This is the most significant mask used in Bali to tell stories. In Topeng Pajegan, one dancer plays several characters wearing different masks. In Topeng Panca, there are five dancers in total on stage and each of them plays his or her own part. Masks can depict noble kings and also be funny.

4. Sidakarya Mask

This mask is used for the completion and blessing of the ceremony. It is worn at the end of major ceremonies held in temples. It has a pleasant appearance due to its white face, neatly mustache, and smile.

Source: Unsplash

Where to See and Get the Balinese Masks?

It is easy to get hand-crafted masks in Bali, like in shops and museums, anywhere on the island. But if you want to get one with unique experiences, you can do it in Mas village wood. A Bali wood carving center located in Ubud. Here you can see directly how the local people sculpt the wood and change it into noble wood art.

When you come to Bali, visiting Ubud and the area around is a must. Ubud is the center of many kinds of arts. It is also a peaceful place with stunning green nature. Staying in Ubud will give you tranquility and memorable moments that you will miss all your life like staying at a Private villa in Ubud such as Villa Vastu. Contact us for more information. The Red Lotus Property team will be happy to greet you.