Ulun Danu Bratan

On the western shore of the lake, dramatic Pura Ulun Danu
Bratan projects into the water. This is the temple of the lake goddes
who is much revered as a source of fertility. Built by the king of Mengwi
in 1633. it consists of four compounds, the two outermost of which are
completely surrounded by water.


When the three-tiered Siwaitic lingga petak was recently restored, the
builders discovered a bubbling spring and a big white stone flanked by
two red ones a phallic lingga representing the reproductive power of Siwa
as the god of fertility. Towering above this, on a separate islet, is
a single shrine of 11 roofs dedicated to Wisnu in his manifestation as
the lake goddess Dewi Danu. who protects all living creatures.

Ubud

Ubud is located in attractive

environment of picturesque emerald green rice fields, along the edges

of deep gorgeous river in the stunning center Balinese foothill around

30 km from Denpasar town. Ubud got its name from ubad, which means medicine,

due to the fact that there are many plants in this area used in making

traditional medicine. Ubud surrounding, are considered the best on the

island, the traditional dancing and music is of excellent quality.



The trip to Ubud is a time change: from stone dwellings of antiquity to

a current center of fine arts noted for its painters. On the threshold

of Ubud is the village of Peliatan with an especially active dance troupe

and gamelan orchestra. These famous musicians have represented Indonesia

abroad in Europe and the United States. The village puri continues the

tradition of fine performing with private dance lessons for aspirants

from the age of five. it's delightful to watch a Legong instructor glide

through the motions of the dance trailed by four little girls, their feet

weaving patterns over the courtyard and their faces set in concentration

to the essential rhythm of the drum.



A quieter rhythm guides the daily life of Ubud. Each morning, farmers

set their fighting cocks along the roadside to bask in' the sun. Covarrubias

says they do this so the cocks will be amused watching the passerby: sturdy

women suspending hemisphetes of pots to be sold at market, farmers bearing

sheaves of rice, and nowadays passing automobiles. It's nice to join them

and stroll through the plentiful shops that line the avenue opposite the

old puri in the town's center. Ubud is excellent for shopping. Galleries

display contemporary styles by old masters of thirty years experience

and young boys who have developed a manner of their own-the "Young Artists"

style. Many shops have studios at the back where you may watch painters

at work.



For decades the serene beauty of this village has lured celebrities and

artists from all over the world, some of whom stayed to build their homes

here. Down the road at Campuan, the junction of two rivers that flow through

Ubud, are the former residences of Waiter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet, artists

who lived here during the thirties. With the support of Cokorda Gede Agung

of Ubud, these two painters founded the Pitha Maha, a society which encouraged

the young artists of the area, criticized them, provided them with materials

and encouragement, and patronized their work. Spies' own paintings inspired

the Balinese artists to abandon the rigid forms of the traditional style

and adopt such European techniques as perspective. (Spies died during

World War li.)



Since the turn of the century the art of North Bali had come under European

influence. The modern styles of Ubud and Batuan drew their inspiration

from the scenes of everyday life about them, besides from the classic

stories of Old Javanese literature. Many Balinese painters associated

with Pitha Maha are internationally renowned, like the late 1 Gusti Nyoman

Lempad, and others remain to this day among the island's most outstanding

artists: A.A. Gede S brat, lda Bagus Made Poleng, I Gusti Ketut Kobot

and several others, each working in his own style. An outstanding woodcarver

was 1 Tjokot from the village of Jati, 1 5 kilometers north of Ubud. Mas

and Nyuhkuning are other early woodcarving centers still active.



At the present time, Dutch-born Han Snel and the American Antonio Blanco

are the long resident foreign painters. They have galleries in their homes

where their works may be seen. Dutch-born Arie Smith encouraged young

artists to create bold, simplistic paintings from which arose the "Young

Artists" style with its bright colors. The patronage of the arts continues,

with friends and collectors intermittently sponsoring exhibitions abroad.



The Museum Puri Lukisan (Palace of Fine Arts), also called the Museum

Ratna Wartha, was begun in 1954 and opened two years later as a permanent

collection of modern Balinese art. Beautifully situated above a garden,

the museum displays sculpture and paintings in chronological order, giving

a clear view of the modern movements in Bali's art centers. In the early

seventies two new buildings were added, one being used for exhibitions.

Bonnet returned to Bali in 1 973 to help expand the permanent collection.



Ubud is the only important

tourist center in Bali outside the Denpasar-Sanur-Kuta area. There are

several hotels, and recently in 1975 electricity came. Many tourists like

to make Ubud their home while in Bali and travel out from there. Besides

the main trips, there are many roads and places near at hand that are

enjoyable to visit. The terraced fields and waterfalls in nearby gorges

invite one to leave transport behind and set off on foot. Any direction

is fine. The best-known walk is to the monkey forest, just south of Ubud,

where a troop with a fine-looking king inhabits the surviving patch of

jungle. A great banyan tree straddles the nearby gorge on the path down

to a delightful 13tthing place. The Pura Dalem on the edge if the forest

has exceptionally fine statues of Rangda gorging herself on young children.

The road south through Padangtegal leads 6rf to Pengosekan, a village

of painters since the thirties. It is well known for the varied and individual

style of its artists and was visited by Queen Elizabeth 11 in 1974.



Cross over the suspension bridge at Campuan, and turn left several hundred

meters beyond, for the path to Penestanan, main village of the "Young

Artists". On trips further a field on the back roads, a motorbike is best.

From Ubud, two roads, besides the usual one via Tampaksiring, lead to

Kintamani. One road goes through Payangan, famous for its lychees which

grow nowhere else in Bali. The second road is surfaced as far as Tegaialang.

Jati, where 1 Tjokot lived, is just off the latter road beyond Tegaialang.

There are several art shops along the road. Up nearer the crater, be prepared

to encounter thick volcanic sands left behind when Gunung Agung erupted

in 1963. Ubud serves well both the traveler who wants to get about and

those who prefer a quiet relaxing stay.

Tenganan Village

The village of Tenganan has maintained its ancient
pre Hindu customs through a strong code of non-fraternization with outsiders.
Tenganan Pegeringsingan is one of the most conservative villages of
the Bali Aga "original Balinese". Tenganan is also well known for its
geringsing cloth or double ikat. Through an intricate process of weaving
and dyeing, known only here, a single cloth takes five years to complete.
which is supposed to protect the wearer with magic powers. Here unique
rituals offering dances, and gladiator ( the fight of the Pandanus leaves)
takes place only once a year.

On a side-road, leading inland to the hills near Karangasem,
is Tenganan, one of the most conservative villages of the BaliAga11
original" Balinese. This is a walled village. Within the bastions, all
living compounds are identical in plan and are arranged in rows on either
side of the wide, stone-paved lanes which run the length of the village.
The people of Tenganan claim to have come originally from Bedulu. The
legend of how they acquired their land dates from the 14th century:
the mighty king Dalem Bedaulu lost his favorite horse and sent the villagers
of his kingdom in all directions in search of it. The men of Tenganan
traveled east and found the corpse of the horse.

When
the king thereafter offered to reward them, they requested the land
where the horse was found, i.e. all the area in which the carcass of
the dead horse could be smelt. The king sent an official. With a keen
sense of smell to partition the land. For days, the chief of Tenganan
led the official through the hills, yet still the air was polluted with
odor of dead horse. At last, the tired official decided this was enough
land and departed. After he had left, the BaliAga chief pulled from
his clothing a very smelly remnant of the horse's flesh.

Tenganan still owns, communally, these large tracts of well cultivated
land. Traditionally, the men were not accustomed to work in the fields
with their own hands and hired out their land to men of neighboring
villages. The aristocratic Tenganese went to the fields chiefly to collect
tuak, a popular palm beer. The women of this village weave the famous
"flaming" cloth, kamben gringsing, which supposedly has the power to
immunize the wearer against evil vibrations.


Through an intricate process of weaving and dyeing, known only here,
a Single cloth takes five years to complete. Only the finest pieces
are worn by Tenganan people for ceremonial dress. The imperfect ones
are sold, since they are much in demand throughout Bali.


During ceremonies here, girls, from the age of two, wrap their
bodices in silk, don a multi colored scarf and flowered crowns of beaten
gold. Men begin to play the mysterious melodies of the gamelan selunding,
an archaic orchestra of iron sound-bars, seldom heard outside a few
cloistered villages in the east. Very slowly the girls file out of the
darkness, their eyes cast to the ground. Silently, they lift their scarfs
and let them fail again, always moving in slow, dreamlike elegance.
This is Rejang, a ritual offering dance.

The Fight of the Pandanus Leaves at Tenganan takes place only
once a year during a festival called Usaba sambah. To the accompaniment
of the sacred gamelan selunding, two men each within round, plaited
shield attack each other with wads of pandanus leaves, the variety with
thorns down either side of the leaf. The two favorite tactics are to
rush and clench the opponent. The clench has one disadvantage: while
one man rubs this thorny wad across his opponent's back, he is rather
open to the same treatment. Occasionally, the earnestness of an expression
makes one wonder if an insult is not being repaid. During this festival,
ferries wheels, such as you pass on the road past Klungkung, are set
up on the rising terraces of the village. Some have one wheel of seats,
others two, and the whole wooden contraption is turned by the foot-power
of two men at the tops of the poles on either side. Within a few kilometers of
Tenganan are other conservative and secluded villages that enact, unchanged,
rituals peculiar to them. At Asak, dancers sweep their hair in a great
coil to one side, as seen in old stone statues of noblewomen. Men play
the ancient gamelan gambang of wooden keys. Beyong Tenganan, the main
road crosses a pass overlooking a huge valley. At the highest point,
where drivers often place offerings, a path climbs steeply up to Pura
Gumang and a great view.

Tenganan Village

The village of Tenganan has maintained its ancient
pre Hindu customs through a strong code of non-fraternization with outsiders.
Tenganan Pegeringsingan is one of the most conservative villages of
the Bali Aga "original Balinese". Tenganan is also well known for its
geringsing cloth or double ikat. Through an intricate process of weaving
and dyeing, known only here, a single cloth takes five years to complete.
which is supposed to protect the wearer with magic powers. Here unique
rituals offering dances, and gladiator ( the fight of the Pandanus leaves)
takes place only once a year.

On a side-road, leading inland to the hills near Karangasem,
is Tenganan, one of the most conservative villages of the BaliAga11
original" Balinese. This is a walled village. Within the bastions, all
living compounds are identical in plan and are arranged in rows on either
side of the wide, stone-paved lanes which run the length of the village.
The people of Tenganan claim to have come originally from Bedulu. The
legend of how they acquired their land dates from the 14th century:
the mighty king Dalem Bedaulu lost his favorite horse and sent the villagers
of his kingdom in all directions in search of it. The men of Tenganan
traveled east and found the corpse of the horse.

When
the king thereafter offered to reward them, they requested the land
where the horse was found, i.e. all the area in which the carcass of
the dead horse could be smelt. The king sent an official. With a keen
sense of smell to partition the land. For days, the chief of Tenganan
led the official through the hills, yet still the air was polluted with
odor of dead horse. At last, the tired official decided this was enough
land and departed. After he had left, the BaliAga chief pulled from
his clothing a very smelly remnant of the horse's flesh.

Tenganan still owns, communally, these large tracts of well cultivated
land. Traditionally, the men were not accustomed to work in the fields
with their own hands and hired out their land to men of neighboring
villages. The aristocratic Tenganese went to the fields chiefly to collect
tuak, a popular palm beer. The women of this village weave the famous
"flaming" cloth, kamben gringsing, which supposedly has the power to
immunize the wearer against evil vibrations.


Through an intricate process of weaving and dyeing, known only here,
a Single cloth takes five years to complete. Only the finest pieces
are worn by Tenganan people for ceremonial dress. The imperfect ones
are sold, since they are much in demand throughout Bali.


During ceremonies here, girls, from the age of two, wrap their
bodices in silk, don a multi colored scarf and flowered crowns of beaten
gold. Men begin to play the mysterious melodies of the gamelan selunding,
an archaic orchestra of iron sound-bars, seldom heard outside a few
cloistered villages in the east. Very slowly the girls file out of the
darkness, their eyes cast to the ground. Silently, they lift their scarfs
and let them fail again, always moving in slow, dreamlike elegance.
This is Rejang, a ritual offering dance.

The Fight of the Pandanus Leaves at Tenganan takes place only
once a year during a festival called Usaba sambah. To the accompaniment
of the sacred gamelan selunding, two men each within round, plaited
shield attack each other with wads of pandanus leaves, the variety with
thorns down either side of the leaf. The two favorite tactics are to
rush and clench the opponent. The clench has one disadvantage: while
one man rubs this thorny wad across his opponent's back, he is rather
open to the same treatment. Occasionally, the earnestness of an expression
makes one wonder if an insult is not being repaid. During this festival,
ferries wheels, such as you pass on the road past Klungkung, are set
up on the rising terraces of the village. Some have one wheel of seats,
others two, and the whole wooden contraption is turned by the foot-power
of two men at the tops of the poles on either side. Within a few kilometers of
Tenganan are other conservative and secluded villages that enact, unchanged,
rituals peculiar to them. At Asak, dancers sweep their hair in a great
coil to one side, as seen in old stone statues of noblewomen. Men play
the ancient gamelan gambang of wooden keys. Beyong Tenganan, the main
road crosses a pass overlooking a huge valley. At the highest point,
where drivers often place offerings, a path climbs steeply up to Pura
Gumang and a great view.

Sangeh Monkey Park

Sangeh is the village whose northern part covers about 14 hectares of a holy homogen forest of "Pala" trees with hundreds of monkey in habitants. The trees cannot be found on any other part of Bali and their existence in this village remains a mystery. Look for a lovely mossy temple, which is hidden amongst the tall and gracious "Palatrees".

The Sangeh Monkey Forest, a cluster of towering trees and home of hundreds of sprite monkeys. The forest is sacred and for many years no one has been permitted to chop wood there. The temple was built around the 17th century by the first king of Mengwi Kingdom, and dedicated to the God of Mount Agung.The temple is surrounded by tall nutmeg trees. Many monkeys roam the surrounding forest .As they live in this sacred forest, the monkeys are also held sacred and are rather tame, but it is advisable not to play with them.

Sangeh monkey have a special status in Hindu religin, and a number of temples in Bali boast a resident monkey population, respected by devotees and duly fed and photographed by tourists. The Monkey Forest (Bukit Sari) in the village of Sangeh is probably the most visited of these on Bali, its inhabitants the sef-appointed guardians of the slightly eerie Pura Bukit Sari. According to local legend, the forest itself was created when Rama's general, the monkey king Hanuman, attempted to kill off Rama's enemy, Ravana, by squashing him between two halves of the sacred Mount Meru. In the process, part of the mountains fell to earth at Sangeh, with hordes of Hanuman's simian retainers still clinging to the trees, creating Bukit Sari and its monkey dynasty. The temple was built here some time during the seventeenth century, in a forest of sacred nutmeg trees, which tower to heights of forty metres.

The forest borders the main road, and as soon as you pull up at the roadside car park you can see just how untamed Sangeh's monkeys are - every small warung in the vicinity is wreathed in wire netting, and the creatures race fearlessly up and down the road and over any parked vehicles. As you pass into the forest area (donation requested), huge signs warn you to beware of the monkeys, and the attendants hand out sticks in case you are attacked. This can make you feel pretty uneasy, but it's unlikely you'll have any trouble if you keep cameras and jewellery out of sight and remember to take all foodstuff out of your bags and pockets.

Pura Bukit Sari, located in the heart of this fairy-tale forest, is best appreciated in late afternoon after the tour buses have left. During peak hours, the place can seem disappointing, but seen in waning light with only the monkeys for company, the forest and the temple take on an attractive ghostly aspect, pound of the weathered and moss-encrusted grey-stone temple is out of bounds to everyone except the monkeys, but beyond the walls you can see a huge garuda statue, stonecarved reliefs and tiered thatched meru. There are no paths through the forest, but a track runs clockwise around most of its perimeter, along the edge of an expancse of cultivated land that drops down to a river a few hundred metres to the west.

Rawana, the villainous giant of the Ramayana epic, could die neither on earth nor inair.Tokill him,themonkeygeneral Hanuman devised a plan to suffocate the giant by pressing him between two halves of the holy mountain Mahameru-a destruction between the earth and air. When Hanuman took Mahameru, part of the mountain feli to the earth in Sangeh, along with a group of his monkey armies. And so they stayed to this very day.

Such is the legendary origin of Bukit Sari, or The Monkey Forest, a cluster of towering trees and home of hundreds of sprite monkeys. The forest is sacred and for many years no one has been permitted to chop wood there. A moss-covered temple lies in the heart of the woods and is a familiar hideout for the nimble inhabitants. You make many friends b buying a bag of peanuts, and for such a east the monkeys often bring their families along.

Fulmar tells of a king of the monkeys who invariably has the first choice in selecting peanut handouts. He oversees one camp, while a rival king and his followers control another area of the forest. A beautiful restive place, Sangeh has long been an inspiration for painters and monkey-watchers.

The temple, Pura Bukit Sari, was originally built around the 17th century as an agricultural temple and has been restored several times, most recently in 1973. In the central courtyard, a large statue of Garuda, an old carving of uncertain date, symbolizes freedom from suffering and the attainment of amerta, the elixir of life. The forest of nutmeg trees in which it lies was presumably planted deliberately a long time ago, for it is unique in Bali.

There is a separate route linking Sangeh directly with Denpasar that begins at Jalan Kartini, making it a short trip. A side - road joins Blahkiuh, just south of Sangeh, with Mengwi which can also be reached by returning to Denpasar and taking the trip to the west. A sub-standard road links Sangeh with Ubud

Pasar Badung

Pasar Badung is a biggest traditional market in Bali, locted
in the center of the city of Denpasar. It open 24 hours, which is available
all everyday life need. All offer Bali distribute the sale stuffs at Pasar
Badung. It is divided into two part which is cut by Tukad Badung River.
The tourist may see the traditional trade here.

Munduk Coffee Plantation

Munduk is located just 5 kilo meters from
Lake Bratan. Coffee plantation spread up on the hill, facing to the
lakes, Bratan, Tamblingan. Driving up from Bedugul, make this area fresh
due to up area and breeze of tropical trees.