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The masks you have seen from Bali fall into two categories, those that are employed for the Topeng and those used for ritual and religious performances in which a Rangda and a Barong Ket mask are used. Besides having an entertainment value for those who watch the characters they depict in action, they also serve a practical purpose to the Balinese. Discuss some of the masks and the characters they depict and the way they are employed to serve ritual and religious purposes in Balinese society.

====Within the Topeng Pajegan (the sacred one-man show) the masks fulfill the vital need to designate a change in character as the show progresses. The part of the performance that is most sacred is when the Sidhakarya mask is performed. When wearing this mask, the Dalang performs the ritualistic monologue and incantations that represent the simultaneous embodiment of good and evil. In further research I have found that Sidha Karya literally means “the one who accomplishes the ritual work” (Asian Theatre Journal Volume 22). Sidyakarya calls upon blessings upon the ceremony and community and drives out evil from their midst. To name a few, other characters of the Topeng Pajegan include Topeng Patih Manis—a refined male character who dances the introductory dance, Topeng Tua—the old man who appears in the third introductory dance, Penasar Kelihan—the older court attendant who beings the dramatic sequence, Panasar Cenikan—the younger court attendant, and Bondres—the secular comic characters. Each of these roles is vital to the canon of the Topeng Pajegan and provides the outline in which the Dalang performs his skillful dances and impromptu dialogue (Sedana, Performance in Bali). ==== ====In contrast to the many years of study and precision learned through practicing he Topeng, the performances of the Rangda and Barong Ket are done by those divinely inspired to play the roles. The Rangda and Barong Ket are highly ritualistic and believed to be dangerous for the performer to take on. The Rangda performance is said to control the forces of evil by calling them upon the performer. It is performed near a grave site, cross roads, or Banyan Tree due to their spiritual significance. The Barong Ket is similar in that it deals with the forces as evil. This mask is of greater significance than the Rangda and the performers who have been trained to learn the movements perform the dance around the circumference of the village in order to “sniff out evil.” (Richmond Lecture) ==== ====Though both of these masked performance media have tourist and entertainment aesthetic appeal, they can only be entirely understood within the cultural belief practices from which they derive. ====