Tedung : temples' umbrellas
What are they ?
Tedung are theses small umbrellas you can see next to temples, or carried by people during some ceremonies.
It could be translated in English by » human shelter / shield / guardian « .
Therefore, they protect us.
Why so many colors ?
We often see them in white or yellow , but there is more than 2 colors, and they all have a different signification:
WHITE
White tedung are facing ( or on a temple facing ) EAST, the direction of Dewa Ishwara, the » supreme lord « . Ishwara represents Brahman, the » cosmic soul » ( the Qi , the Force ….. ). He is the ruler of our world.
RED
Red tedung are facing ( or on a temple facing ) SOUTH, the direction of Brama , the god of creation.
YELLOW
Yellow tedung are facing ( or on a temple facing ) WEST, the direction of Mahadewa, the god of glory, heroes and nobility.
BLACK
Black tedung are facing ( or on a temple facing ) NORTH, the direction of Vishnu , the god of sun, the guardian of life.
You can also see some green ones on the SOUTH coast, they will be on temples for the god of ocean ( but the southern ocean, the one in Kedungu ).
Or some » poleng » ones, (the black & white checkerboard) to represent the balance between good & evil (kind of ying & yang symbolism).
In big temples, when the 4 directions are already represented, some » in the middle » temples can have a mix of colors.