The Bali Major trophy captivates the Dota 2 community – here’s what it symbolizes

The CEO of IO Esports, Kenchi Yap, recently unveiled the beautiful Bali Major trophy and the Dota 2 community is absolutely loving it. The trophy has a standard trophy shape but on it are unique carvings with elements of the Balinese culture. Take a look at the Bali Major trophy design below!

The trophy is heavily influenced by the "ornamen kekarangan" art syle. Ornamen kekarangan is a decorative carving that you can typically find in houses, buildings, temples, and more places in Bali. The carvings usually take inspiration from the visuals of humans, animals, elements of nature, and even supernatural beings. Though different carvings symbolize different things, most of them serve the purpose of protection and removing negative energy.

On opposite sides of the Bali Major trophy, you can see two different faces. Here's who we believe they represent.

The Bali Major trophy has two carvings of faces, seemingly Barong and Rangda from Balinese mythology.

Barong is the symbol of good. He is the king of spirits and leader of the hosts of good. This being is often portrayed as a lion with a red head and is covered with thick white fur. Meanwhile, Rangda, the demon queen, symbolizes evil. She is a terrifying being who leads an army of witches against Barong. She is pictured with a goggled-eye mask, long fangs, and a protruding tongue.

Barong and Rangda appear in a traditional Balinese dance, which is also called Barong. This dance represents an eternal battle between good and evil. This can be seen as a parallel to Dota 2 in which an eternal battle between Dire and Radiant takes place in the game.

But take this with a pinch of salt as it is merely our theory.

Some people believe the faces on the trophy are of the Garuda bird and Bhoma. The Garuda bird is a well-known mythical creature in Hinduism and Buddhism. This divine eagle-like bird is also the national symbol of Indonesia. Bhoma, on the other hand, is of Balinese mythology, who acts as a guardian spirit of temples and shrines.

The Bali Major trophy also has a unique top that represents the unique Balinese "Meru roof". The Meru roof represents layers of the Universe and it is a common design on temples all over Bali. Apart from that, an imprint of the Bali Major logo sits on the front of the trophy.

The Bali Major hype continues as more teams secure their qualification for the Indonesian Dota 2 Major. You can visit our article to find out which teams are going to the Bali Major!

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