Bhoma guardian faces

Above the inner gateways of Balinese temples, a huge carved face often stares down at everyone who enters, with bulging eyes, fangs and splayed hands. This is Bhoma, a guardian figure whose image, known as karang bhoma, protects the sacred space by warding off evil spirits. Once you recognize him, you will see him on temples, houses and shrines all over the island.

In Balinese tradition, Bhoma is the son of Wisnu and Dewi Pertiwi, the earth goddess, and his name comes from a Sanskrit word meaning born of the earth. He is linked with forests, vegetation and fertility, and with the boundary between wild nature and human settlement. Like the Kala heads of Javanese temples, he guards thresholds; his face can seem fearsome or benevolent, reflecting nature's power to nurture or destroy.

Bhoma's face is most often found above the kori agung, the roofed gate leading into the inner courtyard, usually carved in volcanic stone and surrounded by swirling foliage. He also appears at the base of the padmasana, where he represents the forest at the foot of the cosmic mountain, on doorways of houses and on the tall towers built for cremations. Look for him whenever you cross a threshold.