Somebody crossed the line and stole a sacred mask from Yanapi Village, Tembuku, Bangli, right ahead of the fast-approaching Galungan holiday.
The mask was from a barong, one of the most widely recognized mythological and traditional images of Bali that appears in numerous Balinese ceremonies and dances. This particular one has been around in this village for years.
This barong mask was reportedly stolen after a temple ceremony on Feb. 6 at Pura Dalem Yangapi.
Residents apparently realized this the next day when the barong was found “headless.”
“The lock to the storage entrance was broken. It must be a thief who entered. Only the barong mask was missing,” local resident Jero Mangku Wayan Sulastra, 62, told Merdeka on Monday.
Sulastra says local police have been enlisted to try and track down the thief of the sacred object. Police believe someone may have taken the mask to try and resell it.
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