HOW TO GO AROUND BALI

Getting Around If you are coming here for a week or so, you might be tempted to rent a car and go out driving yourself around to explore Bali. Our advice: Don't - especially if you are coming from a country where driving on the right is the norm. When you put together pedestrians, bicycles, tour buses, trucks, livestock and assorted immovable objects in the middle of roads that are not well marked with traffic controls are often ignored and little - if any - enforcement of rules that may exist - you have yourself one of the most creative driving environments imaginable. First, forget about getting lost - that's the least of your concerns. If you have an accident and there is an injury to a local person you will not be able to leave until the matter is cleared up. Better to hire a car with a driver, enjoy the scenery and arrive at your destination relaxed. It usually costs only about US$ 10.00 more per day to hire a driver with your rental vehicle than without - so you be the judge. If we have not convinced you and for some reason you still want to drive yourself, you will need to have either an International Driving License (see your local automobile club) or a Tourist Driving License. A Tourist Driving License can be obtained Jl. Cokorde Agung Tresna 14, Renon. You will need to bring a copy of your passport and the driving license from your home country. Cost is Rp. 100.000 and the license is valid for 30 days. The office is open Monday - Saturday 8.00am - 3.00pm. Tel. 243939. For shorter trips, i.e. back and forth between Kuta and Nusa Dua, metered taxis are available. The Best is Bali Taxi - the BLUE cabs. Clean, reliable, safe and honest. The meters run at approximately Rp.1,500 per kilometer (an unbelievable bargain) If you are out on the street and can't get a blue cab, next best are the green and orange cabs - also clean, reliable, safe and honest but fares are a bit (10%) higher. There are other white cabs but often the meters "don't work". If you choose to stay in such a cab, negotiate the fare First (the key words here are Negotiate and First).

ART

Arts and Crafts Product in Bali Until this century Balinese artists produced work (paintings, stone & wood carving etc.) under the patronage of wealthy kings or as gifts to decorate the local temple. As such the artists were only doing their part as a member of the community and therefore never gave much thought to be recognized for their efforts by signing their work. In addition, art had to follow very stringent guidelines so whilst the quality may have varied the content was quite standard. It wasn't until the arrival of European artists that Balinese artists learned to express themselves individually and then began signing their work. Cloth & Textiles Bali has basically 3 indigenous textiles: Endek, Gringsing and Tenun Ikat. That being said most of the swaths of cloth and fancy printed apparel on sale in Bali are really Batik and native to Java, not Bali. FYI, the intricate designs on Batik cloth are made by applying wax to the fabric prior to dying each time another color is added. Inasmuch as Endek is really only popular with the Balinese it is not mass produced - so it is quite safe to say that any endek you purchase will have been hand made. It is a laborious affair. The horizontal threads are laid out and pre dyed with a desired pattern in a tie dye type of operation ( the fabric may be dyed several times with different colors ). Once dyed the threads are dried then woven into the vertical threads on the loom. These vertical threads are only one color -usually black. It is not until the weaving is complete that one knows for sure the quality and clarity of the designer's work. This is just a rough idea how the process works, it's actually much more complicated than this with several people - men included - to make just one bolt of cloth. The finished bolt is about 20 feet long by 3.5 feet wide. It takes about 10 days just to weave one bolt of cloth - so think of the value ! Now, if you think that's tricky try it with both the vertical and horizontal threads at the same time. Imagine a weaver must come up with a design then "tye dye" both the horizontal and vertical threads separately 2-3 times depending on the number of colors used. Even the slightest miscalculation when dying the yarn or a mistake by the weaver and months of work are lost. This is basically how Gringsing is produced in the Balinese Village of Tenganan - one of two or three places in the entire world capable of producing this extraordinary textile. As mentioned many times in BaliHotels.com this is one of the best souvenirs available to visitors to Bali. The third cloth, tenun ikat is also popular in Bali. Like endek the horizontal threads are dyed and woven into a solid vertical thread on the loom. The difference is that the patterns are solid colored blocks or simple crossing patterns. This cloth is also mostly produced by hand and is very popular in fashionable circles for clothing, home furnishings and accessories. Return to Top Paintings Traditional Kamasan Art This is the most traditional of all Balinese paintings. Originating in the Klungkung Regency during the reign Kingdom of Gelgel it was widely admired throughout Bali. The artists specializing in this art form are known as "Sangging". In days gone by these Snagging artists would often be commissioned to travel to other kingdoms to decorate a palace or temple with this style of painting. Kamasan is easily distinguished in the market. The paint color is predominately orange (sometimes blue) and the theme always depicts Hindu epics and are based on the Javanese Wayang characters. The characters are divided into two camps: Good, ( those with refined facial features and slim bodies) and Evil, (those with distorted faces, red color and distended bodies). The painting is a large canvas divided up into panels with each panel telling the story of a well known adventure. Years ago Kamasan art was placed primarily in temples as wall hangings, used as curtains, or as banners during festivals. (Go to the Kerta Goa Hall of Justice in Klungkung to see fine examples of this style). The paintings are used much the same way today with restaurants now often using the canvas for menu covers. Kamasan still today has Sangging artists dedicated to painting in the traditional Kamasan style. Easily the best known Kamasan artist is I Nyoman Mandra who has his own school, and does restoration work. Bpk. Mandra can be found in Klungkung. Return to Top Modern Art As mentioned earlier starting this century Balinese artists came under more direct influence of Western artists with the arrival of European artists. The most famous of these were German, Walter Spies and Dutchman, Rudolf Bonnet. These two painters taught the Balinese painters new, more realistic and expressionistic art - scenes from every day life, landscapes and the like - which now dominates the paintings produced on Bali. Later on and together with local artist Gede Agung Sukawati the Pitamaha Painters Association was established. Styles which sprang from this effort are briefly described below. When looking to buy keep in mind that prices vary widely depending on the size and the amount and clarity of detail. Batuan These large paintings are easily identified because every square inch of the canvas is filled with tiny figures going about life's daily activities (some quite graphic if you look hard enough). Usually bright colored, these paintings seem to be getting funnier and funnier (or sarcastic depending on your view of video camera tourists being painted into village life) as the years go by. Keliki Keliki paintings are generally the very small paintings you see hanging on pillars and odd spaces in different shops. These too are crammed with little images but look closely though and you will see that the subject matter is very different - usually the subject is the supernatural with fantastically detailed demons. Pengosekan These are the bird, flower and butterfly paintings you see all over. The amount of detail and correct proportion determine the price but works of the best (i.e. I Made Supartha commands up to US$ 5,000 for a good sized painting). Ubud With highly stylized human features -strong lines, long necks, proud posture, and the like identify these paintings to have been influenced by Walter Spies. The paintings are usually large and colorful without being bright. Such artists as Dewa Putu Bedil are always in demand and you may well have to commission the best and wait quite some time before you own one of this style. Modern Nowadays there are many Balinese and Indonesian artists who practice what can best be described as Modern Art. Some like Made Winata, Krijono, and Joko amongst others have achieved a great deal of commercial success combining their Indonesian perspective with abstract figures and new colors. Return to Top The Keris These daggers with their wavy blades are famous the world over. Going back as far as Hindu Javanese of Majapahit in the 13th century, these beautiful daggers are much more than a weapon - they are a revered symbol of the man who owns it and each Keris is deeply believed to have a life and spirit of its own. Indeed there are stories of kings, too busy with affairs of the palace to attend their own weddings, letting the Keris stand in as the groom. And not just any will Keris will do, a Keris must be matched spiritually to its owner to protect him from harm. Since the Keris is found in many parts of Indonesia, there are correspondingly many different styles of blades, handles and sheaths - none any better than another just personal preference. In Bali the Keris is usually quite large and has a wavy double edged blade ( be careful when you unsheathe it, it's sharp! ) with an ornately carved handle (or hilt) representing one of the gods from the Ramayana epic. Also with the Balinese Keris the area connecting the blade to the handle is embedded with semi precious stones as is the sheath. As a comparison, the Keris from Java are usually smaller and less presumptuous and the Keris from North Sumatra are usually with straight, one sided blades. An old, valuable Keris can easily fetch US$ 5,000. but an average Keris is about US$ 200 - US$ 500. When buying, attention to detail is everything. Look closely at the area that joins the blade to the handle, does the handle look new and the blade old?, is the blade intricately forged? etc. Return to Top Masks Practically from the time you step off the plane you will see masks of different sizes, shapes and colors. Whilst these days many masks are produced solely as tourist souvenirs not to take masks seriously in Bali would be a mistake. When a Westerner dons a mask at a party it is to pretend he is someone else. For Indonesians - especially Balinese to don a mask is to begin living the life of the mask. Masks used in performances of sacred dances are sacred and as such revered and kept so in temples. You will not find such masks sitting idly in a store waiting to be purchased. That being said, there are still fine masks - all works of art - that are no longer used available for sale (for a price). Without going too deeply into (there are entire books devoted to the subject) most masks you will see are representations of Ramayana Epic. The masks with refined features such as a short pointed nose and white face represent Noblemen, while those with garish features - red faces with bulbous noses and missing teeth represent buffoons, idiots, liars and cheats. If you look closely at the eyes you will be able to see Chinese characters as well - they are the ones with the thinner eyes. Lastly, today masks are being made in modern shapes like a crescent moons and painted abstract colors but these are really only for souvenirs and decoration. A fine mask properly displayed and well lit adds a lot to any home or office. Most of the best masks can be found in the village of Mas. Return to Top Stone Carving Driving around Bali it would difficult not to be impressed with the majesty of the intricate stone carvings that adorn the thousands of temples that dot the island. This stone is known locally as "paras" and is not really stone in the Western sense. Rather paras is volcanic ash mixed with sand and clay and compressed over the centuries into a hard material similar to sandstone or soapstone. As such the material is quite soft, decays easily and moss seems to grow on it overnight - so if you are walking through a rice paddy and happen to see an old, blackened, moss covered statue do not think it is centuries old - it may be 5 or at the most 30 years old ! Traditionally stone has been carved into the shapes of demons and deities to decorate temples and courtyards of royal families - rarely does the average Balinese have any stone relief in his living area. Stone carvers have been around a lot longer than painters and have never been subject to the same strict rules as painters. The imaginations of the stone carvers has always been allowed to run riot i.e. gods with multiple sex organs and even scenes incorporating everyday life with today's technology such as airplanes are now carved into temple relieves. To get a good idea of the range of items for sale a trip through Batubulan is a nice day spent. Whether or not you are ready to ship a 500 lb. statue back home is up to you but almost any statue would be focal point of your garden. Return to Top Wood Carving Wood carving shares a lot of similarities with stone carving inasmuch as both were used primarily to decorate temples. You can see traditional wood carving used to decorate the pillars and beams used to support the roofs of temples (and lately restaurants as well). However understanding that wood carvings are much easier to transport and have more practical uses in home decorating it should come as no surprise to learn that Westerners have begun to have a strong influence on what is now being produced. Not that that is all bad. Traditionally wood carvers have also had pretty much free reign to experiment and many have become more sculptors than carvers with the best wood carvers turning unusual pieces of wood that most folks would just as soon throw away into masterpieces. However, still the most sought after works are the traditional Ramayana figurines. There are many varieties of wood used. As a general rule of thumb all things being equal the softer the wood the faster it grows and the easier it is to carve and hence the price is lower. Popular soft woods are merantie, crocodile and hibiscus. Harder woods such as nangka (jackfruit), and kampor are much heavier and can be more intricately carved. Either way a word of caution - The wood is not always thoroughly dry before being carved and if you take it to a climate with less humidity it may crack. So sometimes it's better to take the older carving that's collected its share of dust and polish it up yourself when you get back home. Return to Top Other - Kites Whilst maybe not a traditional art form, in fact kites were only recently introduced into Bali by the Japanese during their occupation of Indonesia in World War 2, the Balinese have quickly turned them into an art form. It is not unusual to see a group of men struggling to put a kite 4 meters (yes, 4 meters - some of these contraptions can be down right dangerous to passing aircraft !) into the back of a truck to take down to the beach. In fact there are laws against flying kites too close around the airport. The shapes can be winged eagles or tall ships complete with main mast and sails ! Truly a delight. And when these really big kites are airborne the wind on the string produces a loud, hypnotic humming sound. Serious competitions have begun to be staged with international competitors trying their best against the Balinese. Airworthy small versions make interesting souvenirs for young children. Return to Top Bali Hotels - batik Balinese Arts & Crafts The Balinese seem to be the most talented of all of Indonesia's gifted artisans. Over the centuries there has been a steady steam of immigrants introducing new ideas, coupled with the generous patronage of Kingdoms past, Balinese artists have become justly famous. Indeed the number of foreigners who have been inspired by Bali as well as the number of Indonesians from other islands who have come to Bali to hone their craft are testimony to the importance of Bali in the art world. As such BaliHotels.com provides a brief - very brief - overview of traditional art forms just to acquaint and alert the casual or first time visitor to some of the art produced on Bali and give greater value to what otherwise would be just another curio. Thank you for visiting BaliHotels.com - More Hotels, More Choice, Better Value !™ More Bali sites: Maps Bali | Bali Villa | Bali Weddings | Bali Safaris | Bali Spas | Indonesia Embassy Information More travel sites: Singapore Hotels | Bangkok Hotels | Hong Kong Hotels | Kuala Lumpur Hotels | Melaka Hotels | Langkawi Hotels | Phuket Hotels Lombok Hotels | Jakarta Hotels | Yogyakarta Hotels | Surabaya Hotels | World Hotel Directory | Embassy Information | More travel links

ANIMALDAY

Tumpek KandangAnimals in Bali Animals have a very important position both spiritually and materially in Bali, bringing about a special day of “Tumpek Kandang” especially for cattle breeders. They pray to “Sang Hyang Rare Angon” to give thanks for protecting and safeguarding their animals. Some people call the special day “Tumpek Andang”, others call it “Tumpek Pengatag” and “Tumpek Uye”, celebrated on Saniscara (Saturday) Kliwon Wuku Uye, once every 6 months. This year, the first celebration is on 8 February 2003. “Sesajen” offerings are presented to “Sang Hyang Rare Angon”, in the hope that their cattle remain strong and healthy and reproduce well. The kinds of “upakara” offerings are in the forms of “peras”, “ajuman”, “daksina”, “dapetan”, “penyeneng”, “pesucian”, and various “tipat” rice packages in coconut leafs. Wealthy breeders of course prepare larger “sesajen” with their stables colourfully decorated with the finest cloth possible.On that day, the cattle food is more attractive than usually. Breeders and lovers of animals are engaged spend time with their animals, and offer “sesajen” followed by prayers. Balinese breeders apply modern techniques in rearing cattle, while persisting to recognise the tradition of celebrating “Tumpek Kandang” holy day. (Sumadi)

Craftsmanship, Business and Devotion

Craftsmanship, Business and Devotion

Balinese ancestors have passed on the working spirit always stressing physical and inner harmony. Take the example of a man occupied in farming in Bali, having the interest of achieving physical and spiritual balance by prayer to Dewi Sri as a symbol of fertility. A fisherman in executing his profession would be ready to pray before Dewa Baruna, the god of wind. Similar is the case with other professionals, the fisherman has also attached pronouncement of words inviting mysterious spirits believed to be capable of being materialized into reality.

In view of the dependency to natural forces as shown in various deeds and activities in rituals, artistry implements have emerged in complete rituals. Samples of these arts are those of painting, architecture, carving of statues, dance, music and so on. Presently, the arts function merely as a means of rituals in temples and royal palaces or private house of nobles. They really dedicate their daily activities in arts to ritual and traditional processions in the spirit of flexible teachings of Hindu religion. Their daily jobs have their own value of service or ngayah dedicated toward achieving physical and spiritual living perfection. Just because of this concept of ngayah too, artists of past time have never printed their names on their works. They are of greater tolerance in friendship relations, while preferring to uphold joint existence, committed social intercourse of mutuality known in Balinese as personal relations of asah, asih, asuh, paras, paros, sarpanaya, sagilik-saguluk, salunglung, sabayantaka. Such social relations have contributed to the anonymity of artistic works found in later periods, suggesting that Balinese culture was more communal in character. Arts in Bali originate from the pre-historical age, divided into four periods of (1) Pre-Hindu Time (8th Century); (2) Balinese Kings’ (8th – 13th Century); (3) Arrival of Majapahit Migrants (8th – 15th Century); (4) Period of Contact with Westerners and Age of Independence (15th – 20th Century). Take the example of work of arts of painting and sculpturing of the Pre-Hindu Age, according to data found in Bedulu’s Antiquity Museum (Gianyar regency). This museum houses tools made of stone of (Paleolithicum Age), instruments made of bones and horn (Mezolithicum Age), refined instruments of stone (Age of Neolithicum), sarcophagus (Age of Megalithicum), and various idols, bracelets, kettle-drums, and lamps, from the Bronze and Iron Age. Development of the art of painting and sculpturing during the Pre-Hindu era has shown signs of direct influence of Hindu culture flourishing in Bali. During this era, sectarian ideas sprouted out of sects of Siwa, Wisnu, Bairawa, and others. Remnants of these ideas have persisted in megalithic Pancering Jagat Temple in Trunyan and Bairawa statue in Pejeng. A bronze kettledrum in “Penataran Sasih” Temple of Desa Pejeng, is also a remainder from Pre-Hindu times. This kettledrum is more popular in Bali as “Bulan Pejeng” or “Moon of Pejeng”, being the largest bronze drum on the Earth. There are paintings of frogs, leaves of “Semanggi” Hirdrocotyle sibthorpiolides, complete with a lining of rays symbolizing a call to rain. Apart from this, the kettledrum war instrument is probably a masterpiece ever been created by human beings. During the reign of Ugrasena (896 M), in his “prasasti” inscription there is a story of “parbhwayang”. Around the ninth century (1045 - 4147), in some inscriptions issued by King of Raja Anak Wungsu, there is an _expression of “aringgit” introduced. It signals that there was a knowledge known by a group of experts skilled in painting of wayang puppets. In one of the inscriptions, there is a drawing of wayang motive picturing God of “Batara Siwa”. Following are ancient scripts in the form of “lontar” manuscript, containing pictures featuring the story of wayang or legend still favoured by the Balinese community. Pictures designed in this manuscript is a miniature of beautiful paintings, worked out by means of a tool such as a sharp-pointed knife on a flat “lontar” leaf of very tiny format with measurement of about 2 cm up to 5 cm, of length of 11 up to 18 cm. The cleft produced by the trace of the knife is filled with a mixture of oil and soot. After Dewa Agung Jambe’s governance rule, the kingdom centre moved to Semarapura. There were Dewa Agung Jambe and his whole entourage, studying in depth the Hindu religion, arts, literature, and philosophy. Dalem Klungkung currently showed great interest, rendered blessing protection and performed developing efforts to artists of Kamasan Village. These performances by the ruler have showed his role as elders close to Kamasan artists. Visually, there are two sorts of paintings distinguished from each other firstly that called by Balinese “ider-ider”, while the second being “langse” or curtain. The first paintings are made of cloth usually 30-cm wide and with a maximum length of 600 cm. These paintings are usually hung under the roof of houses or temple buildings during a religious ritual. The second paintings are hung under the temple or house roof during rituals. In present development of Bali’s tourism, cultural arts in Bali have grown dynamically not merely in painting, architecture, and literature, but also in ways of thinking and living among Balinese community members in daily events. Nevertheless, the Balinese have never just simply imitated those coming from overseas, but they have been selective and adaptive in accommodating foreign influences in concert with local values and customs. In this way, a new cultural assimilation has come to the fore between Western and Balinese culture. According to Wood (1984) and Picard (1993), in an exposition made by Pitana (2000), tourism was capable of rendering a specific dynamic development of Balinese culture of its own, preceded by conscience on internal differentiation of ever changing culture absorbing tourism influence. A more realistic approach is to look on tourism as a carrier of “foreign influence, integrated into local culture in a process known as “touristification”. Balinese culture instilled with the spirit of Hindu religion is highly complicated and dynamic in character as shown in an analogy forwarded by James Boon, a U.S. anthropologist (1997), when he wrote the following: “Balinese culture is a romance of ideas and action”. This has been due to various differentiation and accumulation of variables of respective tradition and culture, in line with the Balinese concept of “desa, kala, patra”, referring to place, time, and condition. In Balinese cultural history, it has come to the fore a syncretism process among various cultural elements during thousands of years through cultural intercourse between Balinese people and the international world such as China, Egypt, Japan, India, and Europe. Nevertheless, in absorbing foreign cultural elements, history has shown, the Balinese community have indirectly accommodated foreign cultural elements intact. What has happened is such a way of screening and modification in conform to Balinese culture. Such happening has resulted in screened element absorption, which seemingly has been originally Balinese. Bali has been conscious of the term of “artist” following the influence of the western world. Artists independently have often signed their names on their own works evidently, with an aim of publicity among community members. Nevertheless, previously, ahead of the influx of Western influence, the term of “artist” conformed to the word “tukang” (craftsman) in Bali professionally meaning artisan skilled in decoration with ornaments, known also locally as “sangging”, while artisan skilled in building development is locally named “tukang bangunan” or “undagi” (building developer). The term of “tukang” has been applied to other professions such as “tukang igel” (dancer) synonymous with “pragina”. These professions originally were an inheritance going down from ancestors among certain people. Before being engaged in the profession, one should observe a religious ritual procession of cleansing. Without existence of the term of “artists”, Balinese people have really integrated themselves in performing artist activities. It is not strange if M. Covarrubias characterised all Balinese as artists.

Seeking Spiritual Enlightenment

Whenever an emotional crisis strikes the mind, the way forward is very often sought in spiritualism. This is even more so the case nowadays as modernization, and the era of information technology has led man to further alienation from his inner self. To regain the harmony, many resort to the activities that offer spiritual comfort. This phenomenon has significantly swamped the tourism world and tours of spiritual tours have gained increasing popularity. Since early 1980s, a number of travel agents have aggressively offered packages of spiritual tourism, for example to Jerusalem and Lourdes for Christians, Mecca and Medina for Moslems and Tirtayatra to India for Hindus. For domestic tourists, tours have been prepared to visit Borobudur Buddhist temple and other Hindu temples such as Prambanan and Dieng, as well as to other believed-to-be sacred caves or tombs all over Indonesia. Bali, in this case, clearly ranks as the priority destination since its natural charm offers a great spiritual destination. Tourism proponents have done their best to promote this trend. Spiritual pre-eminenceTravel agents or hotel managements have arranged special locations for meditation activities, together with the necessary spiritual pre-eminence (meditation or Yoga experts) to instruct tourists on spiritual exercises. As Bali Travel News has observed, tourism areas in Bali that offer spiritual tours include Pacung - Bedugul, Belimbing - Pupuan (Tabanan), Pemuteran (Singaraja), Tampak Siring - Gunung Kawi (Gianyar) and Lembongan - Nusa Penida (Klungkung). However, according to the operators of spiritual tours and tourist impressions, the potential region for this sort of tour is Eastern Bali, particularly Karangasem as Besakih, the mother temple of Bali and the sanctified Mount Agung lie in this region. Karangasem also houses Lempuyang and other temples which Balinese classify as Khayangan Jagat (temple for homage to the universe). It is a well-known fact that Balinese community figures, governmental functionaries and entrepreneurs pray for blessings and stay awake all night long in the temple before undertaking any other important activities.Tourism proponents in Karangasem rely more on natural than other factors to anticipate the market trend that now demands more spiritual elements in the package offered. The tourism potential of Karangasem is in fact just as attractive as that of its neighboring regions.

BALI THE ISLAND OF GOD

Bali, The Island of the Gods Except for being renowned as the Island of the Gods, Bali is also frequently considered the last paradise by foreign travellers, probably including you who are now spending pleasurable holiday in Bali. This epithet is indeed logic and not excessive as wherever visitors go during the island excursion will easily encounter a pura or sanctum for the Balinese.Every nook and cranny of Bali, ranging from coastal territory to mountaintop occur grandiose temples and at all times hold earnest ritual procession, either in large or small scale. During the Galungan and Kuningan feast day, at the beginning of May 2006 for instance, atmosphere of temples and other holy places are extremely exceptional. Other than embellishing its edifices with colourful fabric paraphernalia, they are also festooned with ceniga (ornament made of young coconut leaf) portraying distinctive philosophical meaning. At temple’s middle courtyard are set up a couple of parasols, umbul-umbul, pennants and spears. In the meantime, at the outermost is erected a pair of penjor (decorated bamboo pole) representing the tribute of land crops and prosperity graced by Sang Hyang Widhi, the Almighty God.Every single temple has its own piodalan or temple festival in compliance with wariga almanac system in Bali. On the temple festival, the Balinese from all villages throng to perform worship to such temples and invoke safety. Procession of devotees on departing to temple and ritual series comes to be an immensely appealing spectacle. If you make a holiday in Bali, see the Balinese worshipping earnestly and hold the ritual from early morning to late night assuredly give new and unique experience to you. Exuberant ambience of the ritual and socio-religious activity of the Balinese comparably describes the atmosphere of the kingdom of heaven so then Bali is identical to the island of the gods.Pura is originated in Sanskrit word, namely the root ‘pur’ meaning castle. Similarly, pura stands for kahyangan meaning the abode of the gods. Hyang corresponds to pinnacle. While, that radiating rays is equivalent to deva. Balinese people believe that higher place or shining peak is the abode of deities and God. It is said that many foreign visitors having outstanding spiritual power can see many places in Bali spreading out glorious yellow rays and devout vibration. These spiritual tourists probably have introduced Bali as the Island of the Gods or the Last Paradise. You may, unquestionably, believe it or not. However, it would be very advisable if you try to experience it by yourself during your holiday in Bali such a hallowed vibration around the temple you visit.Process of making the temple according to guidance of palm-leaf manuscript Sang Hyang Kamahayanikan where a temple should be encircled by border, fence or wall (castle) as a specific marker and is also meant to maintain the purity of the location later. According to belief of the Balinese, establishing a temple along with its requirements and ritual order constitute one of the implementations of Dewa Yadnya (holy sacrifice to God) concept. Palm-leaf manuscript Tatwaning Kusuma Dewa expounds how one constructs a sanctum along with its ritual procession to get superior bliss in his or her lifetime. Temples spreading throughout Bali are vigorous alcazar to secure the safety of the island and Balinese people against various hazards.Temple in Bali is divided into two kinds, namely kahyangan and clan temple. Kahyangan temple is public temple used as worshipping place of the general public. While the clan or kemimitan temple is used for venerating ancestral soul being considered to have become a deva. Chiefly pertaining to kahyangan temple in accordance with its hierarchy is then divided again into two divisions, namely kahyangan jagat and kahyangan desa. The kahyangan jagat is temple of which supporting devotees originited in every nook and cranny of Bali, while kahyangan desa has devotees merely from the local villagers.Kahyangan jagat temple consists of the Sad Kahyangan and Dang Kahyangan Temple. The Sad Kahyangan is nucleus temple becoming the universal veneration temple of the Hindus, namely the Besakih, Lempuyang and Andakasa in Karangasem, the Batur in Bangli, the Batukaru in Tabanan, the Goa Lawah in Klungkung and the Pucak Mangu in Badung. Meanwhile, the Dang Kahyangan is the temple having relationship to the pilgrimage of the saints like Dang Hyang Dwijendra in Bali such as the Purancak and Rambutsiwi in Jemberana, Petitenget and Uluwatu in Badung, the Batuklotok, Ponjok Batu and Pulaki in Buleleng Regency. In addition, there are temples becoming the worshipping place of the Hindus but do not belong to the Sad Kahyangan or Dang Kahyangan, namely the Tirta Empul at Tampaksiring, Penataran Sasih at Pejeng and Candi dasa.Referring to the seminar on the Coherence of the Interpretation towards the Aspects of Hinduism held by the Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia, the existence of the Kahyangan Jagat in Bali is based on the Rwabhineda, Catur Lokapala and Sad Winayaka conception. Temples referring to the Rwabhineda conception are the Besakih as purusha (male element) and the Batur as pradhana (female element). Those that based on Catur Lokapala conception are the Lempuyang, Andakasa, Batukaru and Pucak Mangu Temple, while that based on Sad Winayaka namely the Besakih and Lempuyang in Karangasem, the Goa Lawah in Klungkung, the Uluwatu in Badung, the Batukaru in Tabanan and the Puser Tasik (Pusering Jagat) in Gianyar.Since the rapid growth of tourism in Bali, many temples have become attractive tourist objects. Other than location is far from hustle and bustle of business activities they retain magnificent natural view. Just take examples like Tanah Lot Temple in Tabanan, the Uluwatu in southern Badung, the Besakih in Karangasem, the Tirta Empul at Tampaksiring in Gianyar have become renowned temples around the world.Besakih Temple, the mother temple of Bali, perched on the foot of Mount Agung, including one of the wonders of the world. Tanah Lot and Uluwatu Temple are the magnet for tourists that like to see the pounding waves and offshore view while gazing at the sunset leaving for its beautiful berth. Tirta Empul Temple at Tampaksiring is a convenient place for self-purification while taking a bath at the shower having endless water flows. And, of course, there are many more nice temples to visit, including a couple of temples belonging to royal families in Bali that up to the present times remain to be well maintained. For instance, Taman Ayun Temple of the Mengwi Royal Palace is a tempting place and frequently selected to hold some tourism event like cultural dinner function.To enter the temple area, one should pay attention to some local orders, including you, foreign visitors. For example, every visitor should wear Balinese costumes. Women who are in their period, those in condolence (who having death within the family) and the disable or patient suffering from contagious diseases are not allowed to enter the temple. In the meantime, within the innermost courtyard of the temple, household mothers are forbidden to breastfeed their baby and all visitors should practice the tri kaya parisudha (three attitudes being sanctified composed of thoughts, words and deeds). For further details, your tour guide will explain more in accordance with local tradition as each village in Bali has a bit different tradition..

GALUNGAN DAY

Galungan Holiday in Bali

For the Balinese (Hindus), Galungan is paweton jagat (ritual festivity on the creation of the universe along with its contents). When was this macrocosm precisely created and how old is it now? No one knows it exactly! However, the Balinese celebrate Galungan just like they do on their birthdays in compliance with the Balinese calendar, and not by their date of birth. In addition, the celebration of Galungan conveys the meaning as the triumph of dharma (righteousness) against adharma (unrighteousness). Dharma and adharma are consistent with the day-to-day lives that involve proper and improper things.On Galungan day, the Hindu community offer oblations, either individually or together. The sacrifice is begun at Merajan (family temple in every house compound), then Merajan Gede (larger family temple) up to public temples. “By nature, such oblations consist of patram (leaf), puspam (flower), palam (fruit), toyam (water) and fire. While, the pork that is slaughtered on the day before Galungan, some is intended for oblation and the rest for consumption,” ,the Galungan celebration is considered to have come to an end.On the following day, Umanis Galungan is a mutual visit among families, neighbours and wider general public to maintain social relationships. This day is called nganyarin as a new day. Import of PenjorOne day before Galungan, a penjor is erected in front of the house entrance gate. "Penjor" (Pole) on the "Galungan" Festivity The Galungan festivity is invariably marked with the installation of a pole -‘penjor’- in front of the entrance gate of the house compound. Installation of this pole (‘penjor’) is meant to represent the reverence to the Almighty God along with His Ishta-Devata (Deities becoming the object of one’s special pious attention) abode at Besakih Temple. As a matter of fact, all Hindus in Bali will present offerings on this Galungan to Besakih Temple. However, due to carefulness and efficiency considerations, the maharishi in the past created the culture of ‘penjor’ –pole, that made it into a medium (uparengga) of the Hindu’s devotion to God along with His manifestation at Besakih Temple. The word penjor (pole) is derived from a Balinese word peenyor meaning pengajum or pengastawa or devotion. Accordingly, the meaning of penjor is a medium of devotion to the Lord Shiva along with His manifestation at Besakih Temple. On that account, making ‘penjor’- pole on the Galungan day requires particular requirements as it does not reveal merely an ornament. Elements of penjor are composed of: white fabric (symbol of Ishvara’s power); bamboo (of Mahesora); cakes (of Brahma); coconut (of Rudra); young coconut leaf (of Mahadeva); assorted leaves (of Sankara); tubers or fruits (of Vishnu); sugar cane (of Sambu); Ardha Candra shrine (of Shiva) and oblation (of Sadhashiva and Paramashiva). Penjor - pole for the sake of ritual interest can be distinguished from its shrine employed, namely taking the form of ardha candra (literally half moon) representing the sovereignty of Lord Shiva. However, confusion on installing the shrine of this penjor still occurs many times. Some install it facing the road, while the rest do it the other way around, mostly based on the interpretation of the one who installs it. However, according to some references, they suggest to install it facing the road.

Tourism Attractions in Badung Regency

Tourism Attractions in Badung Regency There are many places of interest in Badung Regency such as Dalung Sari Turtle Farm, Nusa Dua , Kuta Bali, Seminyak, Peti Tenget beach , Kedonganan, Tanah Wuuk , Pelage , Petang , Sangeh Maonkey forest, Nung nung waterfall, Waka Telaga , Ayung River Rafting, Uluwatu temple, Petitenget temple, Sadha temple and Taman Ayun temple. Nusa Dua. It means “ Two Island ‘ In bahasa Indonesia. This is one of the premier resort areas in the world. The area is located 20 minutes of the Ngurah Rai international airport , Denpasar and is a short drive to many of bali attraction and beauty beaches . This is the home of any of Bali’s world class luxury resort hotel. Jimbaran This area is just short south of Kedonganan beach and has a very beautiful white sand beach area and clear sea water that is suitable for recreation and relaxation. It is quieter that its neighboring beaches and one will find nice hotel and mostly sea food served at Jimbaran’s restaurant. Jimbaran is in fact famous for its delicious seafood, particularly its typical grilled seafood with jimbaran’s secret sauce. You have got to taste it is believe it. Legian Seminya , Petitenget Beach. These beautiful beaches are several kilometer south of kuta . Like its neighboring beaches. These offer a refuge for surfers there are also many facilities for tourist as the result of The kuta expansion . Sangeh Monkey forest Sangeh is the village whose northern part cover about 14 hectares of holy homogeny forest of ‘ Pala trees’ with hundred of monkey in habitants. The tree cannot be found on any other part of bali and their existence in this village remains a mystery. Look for lovely mossy temple , which is hidden amongst the tall and gracious ‘ pala ‘ tree. Ayung river rafting. The river Ayung is the longest and largest river in Bali. And along this river, white water rafting was first introduced in Bali. To experience rafting on the river Ayung’s west side is amazing, for besides the enjoyment of challenging rapids, the panorama of the beautiful intact nature area is highlighted by appearance of wild animals along the rafting route such as big bats, black monkey and more. Uluwatu temple At the westernmost tip of Bukit peninsula this is one of Bali None directional Kayangan Jagat temples. The location is dramatic perched on the edge of a high cliff with a picturesque sunset view. The temple was first used for worship by the 11th century holy priest, Empu Kuturan, who came to Bali to bring religious law and to form Desa Adat ( Traditional village ). The area where spectacular sunsets can be viewed is filled with the scent of frangipani blossoms and is also the home of friendly monkeys.

TABANAN REGENCY

This regency is very famous for Tanah Lot temple. The regency, led by Bupati I Nyoman Adi Wiryatama, BA also has a lot of tourism resorts such as Bedugul (lake of Beratan) with its cold temperature. Tabanan also has other tourist attractions such as Alas Kedaton, Jatiluwih terraced rice-fields, Pacung village or Soka beach.

BULELENG REGENCY

The Buleleng regency is one of the most vast in Bali. This regency, located in the north of Bali, is headed by I Made Bagiada. The regent explained to Bali Travel News that Buleleng has quite a wide range of tourist spots, from mountains to interesting sea attractions. Off the shore from Lovina beach, for example, people can see dolphins swimming freely. In addition, Buleleng also has the Kirtya building, where old documents made of palmyra leaves are kept. Other tourist spots are Gitgit waterfall, Air Sanih, Banyuwedang hot spring, Lovina beach and Tamblingan lake, where people can go fishing and enjoy the cool air. In Buleleng there are also several ancient temple remains, such as Pura Desa Sangsit (Sangsit Village temple), or Vihara for Buddhists in Tegeha Banjar Village.

KLUNGKUNG REGENCY

The capital regency of Klungkung is Semarapura. Semarapura used to be the centre of the governmental activities in the Kingdom, which was called Gelgel. After the declaration of independence of Indonesia on 17 August 1945, Klungkung became part of Indonesia. Klungkung is still led by one of the Kings’ family. Dr. Tjokorde Gde Agung, the previous regent, is now replaced by I Wayan Candra, SH. The local government of Klungkung develops Klunglung depending on the potential of each area. Take for example Nusa Penida subdistrict. Nusa Penida subdistrict consists of three little islands, they are Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. The three islands are well known for their beautiful beaches. Klungkung also has some other interesting tourist attractions such as Goa Lawah, Kertha Gosa or Kusamba beach. There is a village in Klungkung, which is called Kamasan village. This village is very well known for its traditional painting, which are called Kamasan Paintings. Kamasan traditional painting uses only three colours, i.e. red, black and yellow.

BANGLI REGENCY

Bangli is the only regency that doesn’t have any beaches as tourist attractions because Bangli is situated on high land. However, Bangli regency, which is led by Nengah Arnawa, SOS, MM. does have a dramatic lake. The lake is the largest in Bali and it is called Danau Batur. From around Kintamani village tourists can see the beauty of Mount Batur towering over the lake. At night sometimes we can see the asap smoke coming out from the top of Mount Batur. Bangli regency also has some old and historical places as tourist attractions trekking. Tourists can, for example, see Kehen, Balingkang and Batur temples. Tourists also can see traditional villages of Bali, Trunyan and Penglipuran.

GIANYAR REGENCY

Gianyar is an art and cultural town, has been well known throughout the word. Apart from proliferation of its archeological remains, in recent development, Gianyar looks so fascinating with the establishment of gardens and statues of Gods and demons along its street or at every road intersection. It is really worth seeing, because all the art works erected in this town are master pieces of Gianyar's artists, those are inspired by a single source called " Paramayoga " Hindu legend or " Purana Dewa " in mount Tengguru, that tells us about the cooperation between Gods ( Sura ) and demons ( Asura ) in their succesful effort to turn or stir fast mount Mandara, searching for elixir water or water for eternal life, which is finally ended with the change of cooperation into a war disputing the elixir ownership. MAP OF GIANYAR A word from head of regency Gianyar regency constitutes an agricultural region with its beautiful nature panorama, that it's why many kinds of agricultural plantation can be developed in this region. Additionally, Gianyar Regency is rich with ancient remains and famous for high creativity of its people in field of art and culture, which considered as one of invaluable asset to the region. With this high potential, in reality nowadays, Gianyar has grown rapidly in tourism, which is the result of the richness of the nature, traditional culture heritage as well as modern one. Having this reality we realize there is possibility of emerging negative impacts towards the progress of Gianyar Regency globally, somehow, by understanding strong concepts of Hindu religion it is expected these impacts can be filtered, that local culture and foreign one can acculturate to each other positively and naturally. Finally to all parties, especially those entrepreneurs are involved in tourism, we are expecting their participation to keep and develop tourism positively, that the tourism and Balinese culture which had has high value more well known and praised in the world

TANAH LOT

Tanah Lot Temple is located in the south of Tabanan Regency, precisely in countryside of Beraban, district of Kediri. It is about + 12 km apart from Tabanan town and + 25 km from Denpasar. The temple is built above land of coral reef with size more than 3 acre (wide: 202.830 m2 and circle: 2.509 m). The word of “Tanah Lot” consisted of two words that are Tanah word means land (isle) and Lot or Lod word has meaning the sea. So Tanah Lot is meaning “The small island floating on the sea”. Tanah Lot is said to be the work of the 15th century priest Nirartha. The story goes that during his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island’s beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods. Tanah Lot temple was then built and has been an important part of Balinese mythological history for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. It was said that each of the sea temples was to be within eyesight of the next so that they formed a chain along the south-western coast. As a favorite tourism object in Bali, Tanah Lot has been visited by one million of domestic and foreign tourist every year. Because Tanah Lot owns a magnificent view in particular at the sunset time where the sun slows down to the earth stomach. Every visitor will be marveled to see the beauty panorama of Tanah Lot. Its Coast is rock bound and its wave is big adds the beauty of Tanah Lot Temple which can be seen from various location. To reach the temple, visitors must walk through a carefully planned set of Balinese market-format souvenir shops which cover each side of the path down to the sea. On the mainland cliff tops, restaurants are built for the tourists to relax. Beside of Tanah Lot Temple there are other temples which can be seen on your visit to Tanah Lot like Batu Bolong Temple, Batumejan Temple and Enjung Galuh Temple. At some nooks of coral reef around Tanah Lot Temple there are holy tame snake in black and white color and it is believed as the guard of the temple from the bad influence and evil spirits. It is also believed that this snake was created from Nirartha’s scarf when he established the island. Part of its stomach there no athwart skin, there’s only small skin, but this sea water snake very noxious but snakebite case are very den happened, because the sea water snake generally very passive. People cannot disturb these snakes because according to the belief, they belong to the God in the Temple.

DENPASAR

Denpasar is the youngest city in Bali, which is still only 15 years old since the day it was given official status as a self-governing municipality on the 27th of February 1992. The positioning as a self-governing municipality was a process after it was given the status of an administrative city. From a historical point of view. Denpasar, which was originally a part of Badung regency, has played an important part in the course of history, which leads to the present day. The war of the Puputan Badung which took place on the 20th of September in 1906, involved not only the family members of the palace, but also its many followers, representing the feeling of pride of the Balinese people in holding on their respect. With an area of approximately 127.80 km2, the city of Denpasar has the most densely populated area in Bali. Denpasar, which started as the center of the kingdom of Badung, has now developed into a city of trade. Continuing from the times when the area was still a part of the Badung regency, Denpasar has a major area for tourist accommodation facilities in Sanur which is lined with hotels, restaurants, and various facilities for visitors. In order to guide its development in entering the third millenium, the city has proclaimed a slogan for Denpasar as a ‘Cultural City’. Some locations within the city, like Puputan Badung square, the Badung River, other areas, have been appropriately innovated to fulfill the norms of a cultural city. The ‘City Tour’ is a package, which was also created to support and sustain the quality of the locations mentioned above.

UBUD MAP

SANUR MAP

SANUR AREA OTHER INTERISTING PLACE IN BALI

KUTA MAP

to see more close this map please click the map

BALI MAP

BALI ISLAND

Denpasar is capital of Bali. Devide to be 8 regency:

Denpasar, Karang Asem, Klungkung, Gianyar, Buleleng, Bangli, Negara.

Many place you can visit in Bali, some of them are:

- Nusa Dua

- Sanur

- Kuta

- Ubud

- Candi dasa

TRAVEL TIPS

How To Get Around At first glace you might think that it is difficult to drive in Bali, but just look at the large numbers of visitors you see on motor bike or driving car. Even though thing may look a little chaotic on the rood, it is actually quite easy. The Balinese are not aggressive drivers, although the road rules as they understand them are not always the same as visitor are used to in their own countries. If you take think easy, give way to any thing in front of you, and are generally patient and careful, you’ll enjoy the freedom of driving here. Motorbike are cheap to rent by the day, even cheaper if you take one for a longer period. Cars can be hired for as little as Rp. 100.000,- a day depending on size and make. An international driving licence is all you need here. If you don’t have one, a temporary tourist driving licence is easy to get. Ask the person renting you your car or bike to arrange one for you, or you can rent a car with a driver. Have nice Holidays