 Kaja-kelod Balinese Architecture Orientation
Kaja-kelod in Balinese Architecture Orientation governs the positioning of all Balinese houses, palaces and temples. It is a reflection of the Balinese sense of direction and his relationship with his world.
Kaja is the direction towards the mountains, the abode of the gods, the sacred; while kelod is the direction towards the sea, the abode of demons, the profane. In this sense, kaja is usually north - pointing towards the central highlands - for people living in southern Bali, and the reverse south for those living in northern Bali.
The kori agung is a gate separating the inner courtyard from the middle courtyard of the Balinese temple (19 June, 2004)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
In the 11th century, another axis was introduced: kangin and kuah. Kangin is toward the direction the sun rises, hence east, is the second most sacred direction after kaja. Kuah is the opposite direction to kangin, hence west, and is correspondingly less sacred.
In addition to the four cardinal direction are fourmore intercardinal ones: kaja-kangin for north-east, kelod-kauh for south-west, and so on. With these points of the compass, the direction and position of everything is in Bali is placed according to their significance. A Balinese house is usually aligned kaja-kelod. Within the compound of the house, the family shrine is placed to the kaja-kangin position, the most sacred spot.
The head of the household has his house in the most kaja position of the compound. The members of the family sleep with their head pointing to either kaja or kangin, directions for the head known as luan, while the feet are pointed in the opposite direction, known as teben.
Unclean activities such as the refuse dump or animal pen are positioned in the kelod-kauh position, the farthest and most unclean part of the compound.
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