BALINESE TIGA KANCU HILTS
Dear Forumites,
I got this special hilts when I went to Bali last week (I left Bali, just on the day when a "small" bomb exploded in Jalan Duku, Denpasar on Febr 15, 2008). I bought them from a Balinese warangka (sheath) maker, Made Ardhika in Batuan, Ubud about 47 kms from Kuta or Denpasar. One of "prabu" (king) hilt, and the other is "dewa' (deity) hilt of Ganesha...
In Bali -- according to Made Ardhika and also Balinese keris maker, Ktut Mudra of Klungkung -- keris hilts which are made of "tri kancu" or "tiga kancu" wood (you may look at the picture, the small tiga kancu tree with "butterfly" leaves), are regarded as "precious". Because of the rarety of such bush-tree, and also because of the specialty in colour. It has "three colours" (tiga kancu or kencu) of white, reddish and a little black colours altogether in one wood).
Tri-colored wood of tiga kancu regarded by Balinese as a kind of symbolism of "tri pasupati" or three powers of the "jagat ageng" (big world), those are: The Brahma (the creator), Wishnu (life) and Shiva (destroyer, death). So, keris hilts which are made of the tri-colored wood, regarded to be able to "avoid the owner from danger...". (With special ritual for it). That is Balinese belief, of course.
Tiga kancu tree, can grow everywhere in Bali. But tiga kancu tree with three colours usually grow in a dry land -- like in some part of Nusa Dua, or Kuta hills, near the beaches.
I hope I don't disturb you with this post...
GANJAWULUNG (Febr 16, 2008)
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