INDONESIA LOMBOK -CULTURE & TRADITIONS (PART 2)

PERANG TOPAT ( KETUPAT WAR)

Lingsar Park serves an annual cultural tradition for years, even 10 or hundred years. In this core event, it obviously indicates tolerance between Islam and Hindu in Lombok. Both co exist to conduct worship or ritual without any feeling of threatened. You can witness this peaceful atmosphere if you make a visit during November or December, where a core event called Perang Topat is due. Topat in Sasak means Ketupat in Indonesia language ( translation : topat or Ketupat refers to rice cake boiled in a rhombus shaped packet plaited young coconut leaves ) .Before attending the tradition, both adherents conduct their own worshipping in each spots, Gaduh Temple for Hindu and Kemalik for Wetu Telu.

              Perang Topat is a tradition to honor the tolerance awakened since long time ago. The tradition is intended to express gratitude for such a peaceful tolerance atmosphere, to enjoy the harvest, and to show close relationship between the 2 communities. This tradition is conducted every year to express a grateful feeling for God’s blessing in the current year. Perang Topat means to combat using topat as weapon. People from both sides of different religious group attack one another by throwing topat to their opponents.

Many visitors intended to witness the tradition take a part in the combat to feel such a unique sensation. The topat bullets are special made with special size. Before starting the combat, all equipment are carried around the park and distributed to all people involved in the tradition. People contend to get the most amount of topat. After a given sign , people from both groups begin to walk to their side and start to combat. In fact, groups are split up randomly. Anyone may join any group of 2.

Lingsar temple is not just known as a worship place. Government of Lombok Barat this object is introduced as a cultural tourist object, for its uniqueness and traditions in terms of rising and maintaining such a strong tolerance. In any celebrations conducted in this place, people from different religious often come to mingle to each other while giving hands for the preparation of upcoming event. People from surrounding places come to get financial benefit from tourist.

TELAGE AGENG

Another thing that makes Lingsar Temple fulsome with historical and uniqueness is its big water source that supplies big volumn of water, a fact that make the pengempon/ pengusung (translation: in charged people to manage the site) to experience a grateful feeling. Among Hindu adherents in Lombok, the quite ample water supply is then called as Telage Ageng, while the native of Lombok call it as Aiq Mual . Aiq means water, mual means abundant or squirt over (water supply). The other name of Lingsar Temple among Sasak community is Aiq Mual Temple.

A historical record of Lingsar temple Construction states that the temple is very much related to the arrival of Anglurah Ketut Karangasem to Lombok in 1692. At that time, Anglurah who was the King of Karangasem got a divine inspiration from mysterious voice telling him to conduct tapa brata ( translation: a trait to achieve at such a rigorous self denial and active self restraint ) in a strange place to seek for find resources outside the Karangasem Kingdom.

In the supernatural order, Anglurah was commanded to make a journey to the east in searching for a wellspring called Atis Toyo Hengsar. On the journey, he arrives at a forest now called as Lingsar Village. In this place, he found the wellspring as told in the message. The wellspring then was constructed to be a pool, which water is taken for worshipping by the Hindu adherents.

NARMADA PARK

Narmada Park is located in the city of water, Narmada District Lombok Barat. The park is 11 km to the east of Mataram. It is relatively easy to find the location. From Bertais bus station, you can take an intercity transportation service (called as engkel) to the East or taking a local transportation service connected Bertais to Narmada. The fare is ranged between 5000 to 7000 rupiah. Do not miss this landscape, since it has the ageless water pond. This water source is broadly known by visitors coming from Sumatera, Kalimantan, Jakarta and Surabaya, including other regions in Java and Sulawesi, as well as among foreign travelers. However, the domestic ones are the most in numbers.

Only spending 10000 rupiah for a ticket, you may enjoy a historical tour package and experience the virtue of ageless water located in the park. Some buildings that look like temples are built inside the area, within a pool and a garden. The site is believed as a royal camp used by the King of Karangasem and his descendents. This site was constructed in 1727 when the King Anak Agung was ruling. All historical buildings and sites in this area is well maintained until today. The word “Narmada” based on a story form the construction year, was after the name of Holy River in India. The architecture of the buildings reminds us about an era around the 18^th century which shows great sense and taste on art of the royal architects.

Inside the park area, there are multilevel pools. From the height, the 4 level pools is full of story , as of giving us insight about how the king at that time prepared specific location for the higher royal officers and lieutenants who have accomplished their services for the king. In the other part of the park, we can locate a small building with a small pond inside—the source of the ageless fountain. Many people believe that the grand design of the park replicates the shape of Lake Sagara Anak to fulfill the king’s desire of bathing in the Lake inside Rinjani . Reasoning of the creation of the design is difficulties for the king to make a trip to Rinjani. Therefore, both park and pools were designated to meet the desires of the king.

Nowadays, Narmada Park is much visited by the local, domestic and foreign visitors for various purposes. Besides for vacations, visitors from Bali use park area to conduct pujawali  worshipping . Foreign visitors are most interested with the historical buildings and sites (as a heritage property) seen merely as a source of knowledge. The local people of Lombok come to compose themselves and have a rest after their routine activities.

While enjoying the park view, you can taste the unique of culinary of the destination, i.e Sate Bulayak. If you are lucky, during the harvest season of Durian, you can enjoy the Durian Raja (the King’s Durian). The only tree of Durian Raja grows in this park.The trunk of the tree is very big and assumed to live there for hundreds years . It produces limited amount of fruits only once a year.