Long before the Christianity and Islam came to Batak Land, the Batak believed to god that creates the universe. The Batak conception about God is actually different with Trimurti, the triad of divinities in Hinduism and Buddhism yet the old Megalithic and Hindu influences have some contributions to the formation of ancient Batak culture. For the Batak, the trinity god has its own distinct function. The highest supreme God for the Batak is called Debata Mula Jadi Na Bolon who rules and has power over all of the cosmic wolds. Traditional Batak cosmological concept divides the existence into three levels or worlds; the upper-world, called Banua Ginjang, the middle-world, called Banua Tonga, and the lower-world, called Banua Toru. The upper-world is the kingdom of the highest god, Mula Jadi Na Bolon and souls of the ancestors. The middle-world is lived by men and the lower-world is the home of the Naga Padoha or the dragon.
The Batak admit all cosmic wolds as the totality of those three worlds; the upper-world, the middle-world, and the lower-world, where every level has its own peculiar role in the harmony of life. Batak mythologi describe a tree of life stands from the lower-world to the upper-world to symbolize the highest god unifies and links the three worlds and represents the whole cosmic rules as the Lord of the Universe.
We can see here how difficult it is in understanding the original Batak religion. Eventhough we've found what the orginal religion of Batak is, we can't ignore every external influences. However, the Batak religion has been mixed or influenced each other with the external elements. Furthermore, looking at the trinity concept, it's so much similiar with Trimurti in Hindu-Buddha, among Brahmana, Vishnu, and Shiva. Debata Mula Jadi Na Bolon as the God of the universe, in his incarnation power, have three funcitions; it's then called Debata Si Tolu Sada (The Three Devatas in One). Mula Jadi Na Bolon is called Tuan Bubi Na Bolon as the ruler of the upper-world; Silaon Na Bolon as the ruler of the middle-world; and Pane Na Bolon as the ruler of the lower-world; and Debata Mula Jadi Na Bolon is the cosmos itself regarding him as the ruler of cosmic world. We could see the smilarities between those gods with the gods in Trimurti yet actually they are different in power and position.
The explanation about trinity concept in Batak religion is clearly unable to determine the original religion of Batak ancestor. The mix of different elements makes it more difficult to determine Batak original religion. But we could see the result of that religion in the way of life, the perceptions, and the rituals of Parmalim religion and Parbaringan religion which are still exist among the people of Toba Batak nowadays.
The Batak admit all cosmic wolds as the totality of those three worlds; the upper-world, the middle-world, and the lower-world, where every level has its own peculiar role in the harmony of life. Batak mythologi describe a tree of life stands from the lower-world to the upper-world to symbolize the highest god unifies and links the three worlds and represents the whole cosmic rules as the Lord of the Universe.
We can see here how difficult it is in understanding the original Batak religion. Eventhough we've found what the orginal religion of Batak is, we can't ignore every external influences. However, the Batak religion has been mixed or influenced each other with the external elements. Furthermore, looking at the trinity concept, it's so much similiar with Trimurti in Hindu-Buddha, among Brahmana, Vishnu, and Shiva. Debata Mula Jadi Na Bolon as the God of the universe, in his incarnation power, have three funcitions; it's then called Debata Si Tolu Sada (The Three Devatas in One). Mula Jadi Na Bolon is called Tuan Bubi Na Bolon as the ruler of the upper-world; Silaon Na Bolon as the ruler of the middle-world; and Pane Na Bolon as the ruler of the lower-world; and Debata Mula Jadi Na Bolon is the cosmos itself regarding him as the ruler of cosmic world. We could see the smilarities between those gods with the gods in Trimurti yet actually they are different in power and position.
The explanation about trinity concept in Batak religion is clearly unable to determine the original religion of Batak ancestor. The mix of different elements makes it more difficult to determine Batak original religion. But we could see the result of that religion in the way of life, the perceptions, and the rituals of Parmalim religion and Parbaringan religion which are still exist among the people of Toba Batak nowadays.
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