The rules relating to the ritual and practical aspects of Balinese architecture are codified in sacred texts deposited with the village priests. These ancient documents, inscribed by hand on lontar palm manuscripts, are called the Asta Kosali or Asta Kosalia. This title probably derives from the Sanskrit words hasta (hand) and kausalya (skill).

      The Asta Kosali is consulted and interpreted in relation to specific circumstances by the undagi, or local architect-builder, who is an expert in rituals relating to architecture. Every aspect of construction and design, including shape, size, directional orientation, and position of buildings in relation to other structures, is exhaustively documented in this Balinese building manual, which even prescribes the type of social background from which the builders of a particular type of structure should be recruited.

      These texts are usually written in what is known as Jawa Kuno or Kawi, a semi-sacred language used in prayers and invocations to the gods. Kawi is never used in daily life and, though related to Balinese, is virtually unintelligible to anyone who has not received a formal education in it. Although these building regulations are available for inspection by anyone who wishes to consult them, the arcane nature of the language means that, in practice, only language experts and priests are likely to do so. Instead, carpenters and builders generally learn their trade by a kind of informal apprenticeship and the sacred texts are usually referred to only when there is disagreement about procedures or when constructing rarely erected types of building.

      Building for the Future

      The design and construction of a Balinese dwelling is literally seen as determining the fate of its future occupants and the Asta Kosali provides a detailed account of the unfortunate consequences that will result from disregarding the rules. Failure to adhere to the prescriptions of the Asta Kosali is always dangerous and typically involves the contraction of some awful disease, death by accident or murder, an unfaithful spouse, poverty, and the loss of the affection of the gods. These are indeed dire consequences and any mistakes in the process of construction must be carefully rectified in the prescribed manner in order to avert ill effects. Conversely, good fortune and prosperity will come to those who stick closely to the regulations. These benefits include the accumulation of wealth in the form of gold and silver, good family health, a faithful wife, loving children, and loyal servants.

      Most of the rules have to do with the size and proportion of individual buildings and their relationship to one another in terms of the distance between them and their positioning inside the residential compound.

      These regulations extend to the internal dimensions of a building: room sizes, thickness of walls, and so forth. Some measurements have both good and bad connotations requiring difficult choices on the part of the house builder. For example, the unit of measurement known as patokan tujuh rasa will encourage the accumulation of material wealth but is also likely to foster disobedient and ill-mannered children.

The Human Body as a Ruler

      In many Indonesian societies, the human body provides a metaphorical model for representing the divisions of space within the house. In the Balinese residential compound, the family shrine is identified with the head; the sleeping quarters and pavilion for receiving guests with the arms; the central courtyard with the navel; the hearth with the sexual organs; the kitchen and granary with the legs and feet; and the refuse pit in the backyard with the anus.

      This anthropocentric frame of reference extends to units of body measurement based on those of the house owner. These standard measurements are used to determine both the size and position of a building within the residential compound and also to calculate the dimensions of individual structural elements. Each measurement has a specific name and symbolic significance attached to its use.

      The basic unit of measurement is called depa asta musti, which is a combination of the distance between the tip of the middle finger of each hand when the arms are stretched out horizontally on either side of the body (depa), plus the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger (hasta), plus the width of the fist with the thumb extended (musti).

      These dimensions are recorded on a length of bamboo, which serves as a kind of yardstick for laying out the compound and its buildings.

      Other critical units of measurement include the span of an outstretched hand from the thumb to the tip of the little finger (lengkat), and the width of a closed hand with the thumb placed over the first finger (a musti). The Balinese also measure in feet, both lengthways (tampak) and by width (tampak ngandang).

      Mantras

      House building must be ritually sanctioned by the gods. Before work is begun on construction, offerings must be made on an appropriately auspicious day determined from the Balinese calendar. Ritual observations accompany each stage of construction, and the cycle is completed by a final ceremony, the melepas, which spiritually brings the building to life.

      The Asta Kosali prescribes the type of mantra, or incantation, that should be recited to accompany each stage of the construction process. Particular attention is paid to the process of selecting the timber. These are the lengthiest mantras and involve descriptions of all the types of trees that may be employed for building, while invoking the blessings of the many gods and spirits associated with trees and forests, the earth and the sky. There are also mantras to bless the plot of land prior to commencing building. These praise the major Hindu deities of the Balinese pantheon. Special attention is paid to the blessing of holy water used in the consecration of the site.

      The recitation of mantras is usually accompanied by a litany of all the dangers and misfortunes associated with incorrectly carrying out the prescribed procedures. It goes without saying that neither the rituals nor the construction of the building itself can be effectively conducted by those whose thoughts are less than pure.

      Applying Measurements

      Having established standard units of measurement, the Asta Kosali then describes how they should be applied. For example, the dimensions of house posts are based on those of the hand. The ideal width for an upright is equivalent to five knuckles, identified as the sign of the “five Brahmans” (Hindu priests) and considered to have religious significance. Height is based on a composite measurement derived from the length of the index finger (rahi) and the gap between the second and third joints of the same digit (guli madu). The exact measurement is decided according to skin wrinkles and the width of the little finger (anyari kacing). These measurements are recorded on a bamboo stick for the use of the house builder.

      Architecture and Social Status

      Balinese domestic architecture is closely linked to notions of rank and social status, with different rules and building regulations prescribed for different classes of people. Caste plays a central role, being the ultimate determinant of an individual’s status in the social hierarchy, irrespective of wealth or personal achievement.

      Gateways

      In terms of the degree of ornamentation and elaboration, there is little to distinguish the entrance to the compound of a commoner from that of a nobleman, although in the case of royal palaces the main gateways to palace precincts are remarkable for their rich sculptures and ornate profile, which in many respects echo the entrances to temples. The example above is from one of the royal palaces at Amlapura, formerly known as Karangasem.

      Bali’s caste system has its origins in ancient India, but time and local circumstances have endowed it with a uniquely Balinese character. There are four basic divisions of society: three noble

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