The Balinese Architectural Lexicon

Measurement is very important in the process of creating a traditional Balinese house. Building a Balinese house is a ritual process and as every ritual process there are certain steps that must be followed, perhaps the measurement (length) of a certain part of the balinese house or the level of how high or low a certain column may be. This itself is called the Balinese Architectural Lexicon.

The Balinese Architectural Lexicon is mainly followed by these ancient documents otherwise known as Asta Kosali. Asta Kosali is a document in which was scribed by hand on lontar palm manuscripts. Somewhat like the image below

Image from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Christian_prayers_in_tamil_on_palm_leaves.jpg The title,

Essentially what this title, “building for the future” means is the fact that the designs and construction of these Balinese houses are seen as determining the fate of its future owners. The Asta Kosali is known to provide a great detailed portrayal of negative consequences that will result from overlooking the rules in the text. These negative consequences involving tragic events happening such as murder in the household, death from diseases, unfaithful spouses, poverty and the loss of affection of the Hindu gods. These consequences are quite alarming and can just occur by a mistake in the process of building a traditional Balinese house, therefore the Balinese take cautious during the process making sure every step in the Asta Kosali is followed to avoid these negative consequences. It is also stated in the Asta Kosali that the benefits of following the steps correctly would include accumulation of wealth in a form of gold and silver, family health, a faithful wife, loving children and loyal helpers. Although there are benefits and consequences when following the Asta Kosali, these rules extend depending on the dimensions of a specific building, examples being room sizes, thickness of walls and many

Mantra is used mostly focusing on a particular process of selecting the timber for the traditional Balinese house. The process of selecting a specific type of timber involve descriptions of all the types of trees that will be used for the traditional Balinese house while praying for the blessings of the many Hindu gods and spirits associated with the tree(s) and forrest(s) along with the earth and sky. It is emphasized that those whose thoughts are less should not be conducting these rituals and construction dedicated to the traditional Balinese house. This is an important stage in the Asta Kosali as the Balinese believe that when the tree for the timber is chosen and they forget to or does not do the ritual it can end with an angry spirit following the family around, inside or outside the