Klotok Turtle Story
Turtle nototes
Turtle 4 meters had backwards swatsticker in white on its back
150 kilo
one fisherman at 4 am cought it and then cut it up there were originally 2 turtles male and female
f turtle fisherman kills turtea and brings it to maket
4 fisherman in car see many ladys instead of turtle the turtle looks l=strange so don’t sell it at market in Denpansar
and they bring it back to village and put it in hole for burieal
people in village go crazy and into trances the seven days later comes water from the where the turtle is buried
the priests comes and says to makea statue of turtle
Baruna god (god of sea)
Maade Kasta he helped bury turtle
16 days the fountain of water came out idth of blade of grass
may 2001 5th this happened
Klotok Village
Other story low tide and turtle comes to beach 10-15 people
Fire comes to turtle whole
urtle -(See Turtle Statue on this web site)
(Published in the Hello Bali Magazine, August 2002)
"6th July 2002: A royal cremation for a giant turtle at Besakih’s sister (sea) temple, Pura Watu Klotok
Last week a fisherman caught an abnormally large turtle in the Bali Strait off the coast of Klung Kung. As there was something odd about this turtle none of the turtle brokers (such things still exist on the island of the gods!!) would buy it, for fear of desecrating a supernatural being. Finally the disparaged fisherman slaughtered the turtle but (and this is an ultra Balinese detail brandished across the banjar of the land) fountains of blood rose from the poor creature at intervals from its shallow grave well after its heart stopped. With each tragic spurt, a slit drum (kul-kul) would sound, in the neighbouring banjar and temple kul-kul towers. Strange comet trails appeared in the sky over the temple and the fisherman’s family had all fallen mysteriously ill (collapsed arches, dry trots, creeping willies etc.): some form of atonement (closure) in the form of an appeasement ritual needed to be found.
Soothsayers (Balian meluasan) were brought in and it was divined that the said turtle was in fact a demi-god, Ida Bhatara Lingsir, the duwe (holy beast) of the temple and cosmic guardian of the South Bali seas.
Within days the turtle was cremated with full pelebon rites: the Bali Post reported that “10,000 people and 500 spirits (manusia niskala) attended the rites.”
Peace reigns but we’re one giant turtle down and not many more to go.
Sigh!"
I interviewed a caretaker in the area and asked people about the turtle story but got some diffrent versions of the story. it was even difficult to get an agreeement on the dae of this tuttle eppisode. I wonder also why we never heard about this in the West, why nobody at the time thought of takeig a picture and sending it to the media .
This is a link with the story that is simialr to what I heard from people to have been actual witness or had known people personaly that had witneseed some of the dertals of this incredible story
(Published in the Hello Bali Magazine, August 2002)
"6th July 2002: A royal cremation for a giant turtle at Besakih’s sister (sea) temple