An Enfant Terrible – Dewi Uma by I Made Polih

Dewi Uma and Batara Kala, by I Made Polih, 1950s or 1960s, 55 cm, private collection

This sculpture of fairly large dimensions (55 cm high) is signed by I Made Polih and was created between 1950 and 1974. The wood is probably panggal buaya (also known as crocodile wood). According to the information available to me, it long belonged to an American teacher who lived and worked in Bali.

The sculpture is representative of I Made Polih’s talent, employing here the elongated style in a personal interpretation of a motif drawn from tradition. A tall female figure stands upright on a base animated by sinuous lines. Richly dressed and adorned with a diadem, she lifts a fold of her robe with her left hand, revealing a small demon’s head. With her right hand, she plays with her long hair. The slender proportions of the figure, together with the triangular face and wide almond-shaped eyes, are characteristic of the carver’s style.

The scene depicted provides an excellent example of the difficulty often encountered when attempting to identify the subject of certain Balinese sculptures. The richly ornamented garment and diadem naturally suggest that the female figure is a goddess. But which one? The presence of a demon at her feet inevitably recalls representations of Dewi Ratih, the Moon goddess, threatened by Kala Rau. The legend runs as follows: the demon Kala Rau stole a sip of the nectar of immortality (Amrita) from the gods. Denounced by the Sun and the Moon, he was beheaded by Vishnu before he could fully swallow the drink. Only his head having become immortal, it has since wandered the sky. In revenge, it periodically attempts to devour the Sun or the Moon, causing solar and lunar eclipses when the celestial bodies pass through its gullet. The motif of the goddess Ratih trying to fend off the head of Kala Rau, its mouth wide open at her feet, was widely depicted by Balinese sculptors. Here is an example:

Bookend depicting Dewi Ratih threatened by Kala Rau, second half of the 20th century, private collection

But is this legend truly what I Made Polih’s sculpture illustrates? The treatment of the base suggests that the scene does not take place in the sky, but on the ground. By lifting her robe, the goddess does not seem to be attempting to flee the demon, but rather to reveal its presence, and the demon’s head is far too small to appear threatening. The scene therefore does not depict a struggle, but rather a discovery—more precisely, a birth. The goddess would then be Dewi Uma (Parvati), unveiling her child Batara Kala. Embodying the devouring power of time, Batara Kala was born from a union in which Batara Guru (Shiva) violated Dewi Uma, his consort, on the back of the divine bull Nandi, Batara Guru’s mount. Filled with shame by this act, the goddess cursed the unborn child, who thus acquired his demonic nature.

Through the harmony of its lines and the delicacy with which fine ornamental details are rendered, this piece clearly stands among the most accomplished works by the carver.

Note: I would like to thank Soemantri Widagdo and Sipke van de Peppel (https://artdecobali.blog/), whose reflections enabled me to identify the subject of this sculpture.