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undreds of members of Peminge customary village in Southern Kuta, Badung, held a mecaru ritual to restore the harmony between humans and the environment on Monday, after a recent homicide claimed the lives of a local family, comprising a couple and their young daughter.

In February, I Made Purnabawa, 28, his wife Ni Luh Ayu Sri Mahayoni, 27, and their daughter Ni Wayan Risna Ayu Dewi, 9, were brutally murdered at their home in Kampial Residence in Nusa Dua by a group of men allegedly led by the family’s former driver. Purnabawa was a member of the Peminge customary village.

The police arrested five suspects in the case, including the former driver and his wife, who is a distant relative of Purnabawa and was working as the family’s maid at the time of the murder. Two suspects are still at large.

The cleansing ritual was performed by some 250 Peminge villagers and was aimed at preventing similar violence from taking place in the future. “This is a ritual of mecaru or caru panca sanak medurga that is specially performed after cuntaka or impurity,” customary village head I Wayan Lemes said on Monday.

Violence, especially acts that result in an untimely death, is believed to be one of the primary causes of spiritual impurities. The impurities disrupt the cosmic balance, and in the long run, may cause a series of negative events that affect the whole community.

Balinese are obliged to hold purification and sacrificial rituals to restore the cosmic balance.

As agreed upon by all of the residents, the mecaru ritual was held at the intersection of Jl. Siligita, the epicenter of the Peminge village, right in front the village’s temple.

“According to our Hindu beliefs, this ritual is a must … so that the universe, especially this village will remain safe, peaceful and prosperous. Hopefully, this tragedy will never happen again. Hindu believers will not bound by negativity,” said Lemes.

In the ritual, the villagers brought offerings or banten, consisting of various elements including coconut leaves, palm leaves and sacrificial animals.

The animals, which included five chickens, a roasted pig, a belang kalung duck, which had a colored band around its neck, and a bang bungkem dog, which had reddish fur and a black tongue, were used as offerings to Bhuta Kala, which represents the negative power believed to disrupt the peacefulness of human lives.

The ritual, which cost almost Rp 200 million, began at 9:30 a.m. and proceeded smoothly. Amid the sounds of the bale ganjur, a traditional Balinese gamelan instrument, hundreds of the village residents, wearing all-white Balinese clothing, joined in prayers led by two high priests, Ida Pedanda Siwa and Ida Pedanda Budha.

“This is a simple ceremony, which is why it’s only led by two priests instead of three,” said an elder, I Made Sana. The villagers were sprinkled with holy water at the end of the procession.

“The water symbolizes the grace of God, which is hoped to bring peace to the residents still traumatized by the homicide,” said Sana.

Although Kampial Residence is located in Kutuh village in Southern Kuta, the late Purnabawa family were originally from Peminge.