Kecak & Fire Dance at Uluwatu Temple Bali — Classical Dance of Indonesia

When we leave India to visit another country and take the time and effort to attend cultural events of the land we visit, it comes as a very pleasant surprise mixed with a certain amount of pride, to see our greatest epic portrayed in a unique style. I had such an experience during my visit to Bali, Indonesia, which I will attempt to describe here.

About an hour’s drive from central Bali is a temple, the local guide calls it a “Monkey Temple” which is set in the hill overlooking the sea. It is typically infested with monkeys, pretty aggressive too. The temple area has an open air amphitheater where this Kecak & Fire dance is performed twice a day. This area also has a very large standing stone image which is labeled as the statue of Kumbakarana. 

The Kechak Dance duration is about 50 minutes. It follows faithfully the Ramayana epic beginning from the advent of the golden deer and ending in the war and vanquishing of Ravana. Since this forms a very large part of the epic, to complete it in the time taken means the events unfold with great rapidity. Only someone with knowledge of the epic would be able to make any meaning out of it. For me, having seen the Ramayana multiple times, it was really interesting and gripping. The unique feature is that there is no music, all the sounds that accompany the dance are made by 45 voices of men who actually are there on stage the whole time as they represent the Dhandakaranya forest. Even these voices don’t seem to be saying any words that are discernable, but a rhythmic sound that is quite endearing to hear. 

The episode of the golden deer starts a chain of events that culminates in the vanquishing of the demon king Ravana, this is also the point where Hanuman makes his entry in the epic.  The venue of the Monkey temple could be the reason for the choice of this episode as the starting point of the tale. 

The dance is presented in five acts – the advent of the golden deer; the appearance of Ravana as a mendicant and the abduction of Sita and the unsuccessful attempt by Jatayu to save her; Hanuman’s visit to Lanka, meeting Sita and giving her the signet ring and receiving the hair ornament; the interaction of Sita with Trijata, the capture of Hanuman and the burning of Lanka; and finally the war with Ravana and reuniting with Sita. All these are enacted faithfully but at a very rapid pace to maintain the time allotted. Hanuman, as the central character of the epic, holds the entire production together.

For an avid and faithful follower of Kalakshetra dance production for many years I was struck by some very significant similarities in the presentation at Uluwatu and what I have been witnessing at Kalakshetra over so many years. Since there is no music, the brilliance of the composer, Mysore Vasudevacharya and his grandson Rajaram who composed for the later productions, and the entire epic being divided into six episodes each of three hours makes the Kalakshetra productions special. The similarities with Kechak is in the costumes and the entry of the characters. The golden deer and Ravana are exactly how the Kalakshetra dancers are presented. This is a very interesting aspect for a viewer from Chennai.

The Kechak Fire dance is said to date back to 1930 and has been performed without a break.

(The author is a connoisseur of music and dance)