The Symbolic Cosmology on the Bedhaya Tirta Dance: Ardanareswari as Its Deep Structure
Keywords:
Bedhaya Tirta Ardhanareswari, Peircean semiotics, Ritual dance, Hindu simbolismAbstract
This study examines the position of the Ardhanareswari symbol as the deep structure of the symbolic cosmology underlying the Bedhaya Tirta ritual dance performed during the Purnama Kasa odalan at Pura Tirta Empul Babatan, Surabaya. Unlike previous studies that treat icons, indexes, and symbols at the same analytical level, this research positions Ardhanareswari: the union of puruşa and pradhana, as the deepest cosmological structure governing the entire sign system of the dance. Using an interpretive qualitative approach and Charles Sanders Peirce's semiotic framework, the study draws upon performance documentation, ritual archives, and Hindu cosmological literature. Data were analyzed through interpretive coding and semiotic categorization based on Peirce's triadic model. The findings reveal that icons and indexes, "such as the dominance of green costumes, the presence of five female dancers, soft movement qualities, the role of the pamangku, and the ritual timing of Purnama Kasa" function as surface layers pointing toward the central cosmological symbol. The highest symbolic moment appears in the solanugrah sequence when the sacred waters of the kakuluh (puruṣa) and the kendil (pradhana) are ritually united, enacting the cosmic union of Ardhanareswari. The study demonstrates that the deepest meaning of ritual dance does not lie merely in visual form or ritual action, but in the cosmological symbol that structures their operation. This research contributes theoretically by refining the application of Peircean semiotics to the study of Hindu ritual performance in Nusantara.
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