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Culture of the Paradise island of Bali

igusti gede

Tour Guide, Bali, Indonesia

| 7 mins read

TAMAN AYUN TEMPLE

Taman Ayun temple, located in the village of Mengwi Badung Regency, about 18 km to the west of Denpasar is as beautiful as its name - which means 'a temple in a beautiful garden'. In addition to its beauty, the temple is also considered to have a rich historical value, and hence in 2002 the Bai Government proposed to UNESCO that the temple should be included in the world heritage list.

taman ayun

Pura Taman Ayun is a mother (paibon) for the Kingdom of Mengwi. This temple was built by Mengwi King, Igusti Agung Putu, in 1556 Saka ( 1634 AD ). At first , Igusti Agung Putu built a temple in the northern village of Menguwi and dedicated it to his ancestors, the temple was called Taman Genter. When Mengwi has developed into a great kingdom,

taman ayun

Igusti Agung Putu moved Genter Park eastward the building. 



taman ayun

The temple has been expanded as Taman Ayun later inaugurated pond Medangsia in the fourth month of Saka 1559. Every Tuesday pond Wuku Medangsia according Penanggalan Saka, in this temple, held Piodalaan 

(ceremony) to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the temple.




TANAH LOT TEMPLE

ATTRACTION: Tanah Lot, Bali is a natural tourist attraction and very popular among local and foreign tourists. Most of the visitors who come to Bali don't miss a chance to visit Tanah Lot and also the Beraban Village, district of Kediri, Tabanan Regency, where the temple is located. Surrounded by beaches, the area has two temples, the Tanah Lot temple is located on top of the boulder and the other temple sits atop a cliff that roots into the sea.

TANAH LOT

Pura Tanah Lot temple is a place of worship of the Gods who guard the sea. This temple is located in the middle of sea, hence Hindus who visit this temple come here during low tides.


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History :

This temple was built by a brahmana who came from Java. His name was Dangyang Nirartha. As people gained confidence in him, the ruler of Tanah Lot felt insecure and ordered Nirartha to leave his kingdom. Nirartha followed the king’s order and decided to leave the place.

tanah lot


But before leaving Tanah Lot, Dhangyang Niratha with all his strength and power, moved a boulder into the middle of the beach and built a temple there. With his magical powers, he turned his shawl into a snake and till date the snake (as believed) is guarding the temple which is still visible.

As visitors have described the snake, it has a yellow and black striped flat tail like a fish and though small, it is 3 times more poisonous than a cobra. Tanah Lot is not only a tourist attraction but also a happening beach and the temple offers a picturesque view of the sunset, which attracts tourists in the afternoon.



ALAS KEDATON

Alas Kedaton tourism, is a great way to observe the life of the monkeys in this forest. Located in the village of Marga sub-district, Tabanan city (4 km from Tabanan city), this place is famous as Natural Park Kedaton alas Kedaton Monkey Forest.

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Inhabited by monkeys, up 400 in number, the jungle is also home of a huge number of bats. While walking through the paths of the jungle, you will find a number of bats hanging (sleeping) on the tree waiting for night to fall. Forget the hustle bustle of city life and spend some time in the jungle, taking in fresh oxygen supplied by the big shady trees.



TEGALALANG UBUD

Tegalalang Village, located at 5 km north of Ubud village offers beautiful views of the rice fields. Rice terraces among beautiful rice fields and grooves are designed in an amazing way.

batuan temple


In the rice fields you will see the Balinese farmers busy with daily farming and irrigation systems. Enjoy the beautiful panorama of valley ornamented with rice terraces and coconut trees. Bali is known for its iconic Tegalalang rice terraces which are visited by tourists every day.





                                                                   BATUAN TEMPLE

Batuan temple is a local Balinese Hindu temple built with rural rock by the local residents.

batuan temple

Designed in a typical Balinese style, the engravings on its walls and pillar are replicas of Balinese ornaments. The roof of the temple building is made of black palm tree fibres. Located beside the main road from Denpasar to Ubud, this beautiful Batuan temple was founded in Isaka (1020 AD)





                                              BATUAN VILLAGE (VILLAGE PAINTING)  

If you are an art lover, then your tour in Bali is not complete without a visit to Batuan Village, which is the centre of art in Bali. This village has successfully developed a distinctive style of painting – known as Batuan style. As heard, two painters Patera and Ngendon started experimenting on this style of art and created the first painting in black and white. Since then, with passage of time, the art grew and one can see the latest development in this place which is close to Celuk Village in Gianyar.

batuan painting art

batuan painting village


A typical Batuan painting is very expressive and needs a certain level of visualization. Mostly green and maroon colour is used with a thematic background of fairy tales and fables. One can also find the episodes/scenes of Ramayana (Hindu epic based on Lord Ram’s life), in form of a tensed battle, weapons, elephants and other animals.


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Although with passage of time modern techniques have evolved, but in these paintings, more of traditional techniques are used. For example, an artist starts the painting with a pencil sketch called "ngorten", once satisfied, he confirms the sketch with Chinese ink called nyawi. With this ink he creates the complicated impressions, ornamentation and once he is done with it, he gives the magical touch with colours. Every care is taken so that the colour does not stain and spoil the painting.




UBUD MONKEY FOREST

Ubud monkey forests are the rain forests inhabited by several groups of monkey and other tropical animals. Strategically located in the heart of the of Ubud village, to be precise - in the village of Padang Tegal, Ubud sub-district and Gianyar regency; the monkey forest is called Vanara Wana in Balinese language.

monkey forest ubud

As the Vanara Wana is sprawling over an island, the forest itself has played an important role in maintaining the monkey habitat in Bali. In addition to the authorities, the local people of the place have also contributed to the forest and the monkeys so that they can live a peaceful life without any danger.


MONKEY FOREST UBUD

CONDITIONS MONKEY FOREST

MONKEY FORESTS UBUD

UBUD monkey forest is inhabited by 200 monkey, especially long-tailed macaques or macaca fascicularis, the group has a wide spread in the forest. Among the monkey residents, there are 23 adult males, 79 adult female and 98 babies approx. They consist of three groups, living in allocated area and use a certain place at a certain time. The monkeys are believed to be the Gods of Guard of Dalem Agung Temple – a Hindu in the middle of the forest.



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There are three holy temples in the jungle, probably built in the mid of 14th century, during the reign of the early dynasties Gelgel. Pura Dalem Agung, located in the north-west of the forest is also an important temple. Apart from them, there are two more temples.


On the west side of this forest is a Prajapati temple, which is located in the south-east side of the Lord Shiva temple which is highly revered by the villagers of Padang Tegal


Khayangan.

mokey forest ubud