it is a sleepy fishing village in the far east
of Bali Island. It features a kilometer-long black
sandy beach and hills riding up behind, although the
stench of drying fish can rather detract from the
scenery. Much of the area around here is lined with
salt manufacturing, but you only see it taking place
in the dry season. Amed is known for its beautiful
underwater world, which is also becoming one of the
great spot for snorkeling and scuba diving.
it's dated back from the 13th century and it
was never one of the major Balinese kingdoms but it
played a crucial role at pivotal points in Balinese
history. Originally set under the rule of the
Majapahit dynasty based in Gelgel, and then broke away
from Gelgel to become a separate kingdom. By the 19th
it was involved in long running conflicts with
neighboring states. In 1849, Bangli made a treaty with
the Dutch, giving its control over the defeated north
coast kingdom of Buleleng, but Buleleng rebelled and
the Dutch imposed direct rule there. In January 1909,
Bangli became a Dutch protectorate rather than face
complete conquest by neighboring kingdoms or the
colonial power.
Pura Kehen is the state temple for the regency of
Bangli and it is one of the finest temples in east
Bali, a little like a miniature version of the mother
temple Besakih. It is terraced up the hillside with a
great flight of 38 steps leading to the beautifully
decorated entrance with a frightening Kala Makara, the
demonic one who catches harmful spirits to prevent
them from entrance leads into the outer courtyard of
the temple containing a massive banyan tree with a
Kulkul/warning drum built among the branches. Chinese
porcelain plates-a common feature of ancient temples
and palaces were set into the walls as decoration, but
most of the originals have been damaged or lost. The
temple has an 11-roofed meru and 43 altars. The huge
three-compartment, Padmasana throne in the north
easternmost corner are dedicated to the Hindu trinity:
Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.
a natural hot spring that is located in Banjar village north Bali.
In 1985 the sulphureous spring water was channeled into a public
bathing area consisting of 3 pools, set in a tasteful blend of jungle
and garden. The water is pleasant 38°C. There are changing rooms, showers, toilets and a restaurant.
It means "Moon Stone". It is the home of
the famous Barong dance troupes, and respected across
the island for its superb stone carvers. The local
sculptors are specializing in free-standing images
include all sorts of demons and deities, mythological
and religious figures as well as pigs, monkeys, fish
and people using the distinctive rough gray larva
stone known as paras, whose texture gains great
character after a few months exposure to the elements,
and smooth, almost crumbly sandstones which comes in
gray, yellow and pink hues. In this village, it is
worth to visit its Pura Puseh built in an unusual
design which include a five-tiered gateway tower
inspired by Indian religious architecture, and a
number of Buddha images not normally associated with
Bali's Hindu temples. The rest of the icons and
decorations, however are characteristically and
flamboyantly Balinese. Four statues of Wisnu poised on
carved pedestals embellished with Tantri tales guard
the temple and the grimacing Bhoma head overlooks the
main gateway.
the Batur area was formed 30,000 years ago by a
gigantic volcano. The village of Batur used to be down
in the crater but a violent eruption in 1917 killed
thousands of people and destroyed more than 60,000
homes and 2,000 temples. Although the village was
wiped out, the lava flow stopped at the entrance to
the village temple. Taking this as a good omen, the
village was rebuilt but Mount Batur erupted again in
1926. This time the lava flow covered all but the
loftiest temple shrine that's dedicated to Dewi Danu
the lake goddess. The Dutch administration anticipated
the eruption and evacuated the village up on the
crater rim, and the surviving shrine was also moved up
and placed in the new temple of Pura Ulun Danu.
Spiritually Mount Batur is the second most important
mountain on Bali for the Hindu followers.
PURA ULUN DANU BATUR is the second most important
temple on the island after the mother temple Besakih.
It is one of the highly venerated directional temples.
The temple honors the Goddess of the lake Dewi Danu
who controls the water for the irrigation system
throughout the island. The different temples in the
complex thus reflect a concern with not only the
invisible world, but the world of living as well.
Parts of the major shrines are; PURA PENATARAN AGUNG
BATUR is the principal temple, with the five main
courtyards. The dominant shrines are the merus, an
11-tiered one for the lake goddess and three 9-tiered
ones for the gods of mount Batur, mount Abang, and Ida
Batara Dalem Waturenggong, the defied king of Gelgel
dynasty who said to have ruled from 1460 to 1550. The
Chinese looking shrine is for Ida Ratu Ayu Subandar,
the patron saint of commerce. Another 3-tiered meru is
for Ida Ratu Ayu Kentel Gumi who protects the crops
from disease. PENATARAN PURA JATI is related to the
source temple on the western edge of the lake. PURA
TIRTA BUNGKAH is related to the hot spring down by the
lake. PURA TAMAN SARI and PURA TIRTA MAS MAMPEH are
concerned with agriculture. PURA SAMPIAN WANGI is
dedicated to such crafts as weaving, sewing, the
making of offerings and ceremonial cakes. PURA
GUNARALI is where adolescent boys and girls can invoke
help to develop their natural abilities. PURA PADANG
SILA consists of forty-five stone shrines for the gods
and goddesses of Pura Ulun Danu Batur. PURA TULUKBIU
just next to Pura Ulun Danu is another relocated
temple. Tulukbiu is the old name of Abang, the second
highest mountain in Bali at the southern edge of the
summit of Mt. Abang. ERUPTION of Mt. BATUR - it has
erupted more than 20 times since 1800, major eruption
was in 1917, August 3rd, 1926, September 1963, May
1964, March 1974, and August 7th, 1994.
high in the central ranges of west Bali, a
cool mountain retreat nestles in the crater of an
extinct volcano. Here placid Lake Bratan, source of
life-giving water for the springs, rivers and rice
fields below. Verdant tropical rainforest blanket the
hills, which at 1400 m above the sea level provide
temperatures several degrees lower than the plains
(11° to 30° C). On the western shore of the lake,
dramatic PURA ULUN DANU BRATAN projects into the
water. It is the temple of the lake goddess who is
revered as a source of fertility, built by the king of
Mengwi in 1633. It consists of four compounds.
BOTANICAL GARDEN - a large expanse of tropical
rainforest in the foothills of Bukit Tapak was set
aside by the government in 1959. It is covering an
area of 129.2 hectares. More than 650 tree species
have been recorded in the park, and there are 459
different wild and propagated orchids, including some
rare ones collected from nearby forest.
CANDI KUNING is one of the best markets for buying
tropical spices, variety of vegetables, flowers and
fresh fruits.
was once the capital of a great kingdom with
a semi-mythical pig-headed king, Dalem Beda-Hulu. The
legend relates how Beda-Hulu possessed magical powers.
He used to sit and meditate, removing his head to
reach the beyond. On one such occasion, an unnatural
disturbance occurred and the king was forced to get a
new head quickly. A pig happened by and its head was
taken to place on then neck of the king. Thereafter
the king was forced to sit on a high throne and
forbade his subjects to look up at him. Beda-Hulu
means " he who changed head".
PURA SAMUAN TIGA: temple of the meeting of the three.
The name is possibly a reference to the Hindu trinity,
or it may refer to the meetings held here in the early
11th century.
Not far away from Bedulu there are the Yeh Pulu reliefs and Goa Gajah.
GOA GAJAH: the famous "Elephant Cave". It overlooks
the Petanu River and consists of a Siwaitic rock-cut
cave, a bathing place, a monks' chamber, a number of
Buddhist rock-cut stuppas and statues, and several
foundations. It is known as the 11th century Buddhist
hermitage.
YEH PULU RELIEFS: chipped away from the sheer rock
face, the 25-meter-long series of Yeh Pulu carvings
are said to date back to the 14th century. The reliefs
are in naturalistic style. Legend has it that the
great giant architect-general, Kebo Iwa carved out the
enchanting picture-shape of village life and animals,
which are interspersed with Balinese Hindu gods, with
his fingernails.
the greatest of all Balinese sanctuaries,
the most sacred and powerful of the island's
innumerable temples. It is perched nearly 1000 m on
the southwestern slope of Mt. Agung, offering
spectacular views over the whole of southern Bali. It
is an extensive complex of 23 separate but related
temples. The more important for this temple is the
great purification ceremonies of Panca Wali Krama,
theoretically held every 10 years, and Eka Dasa Rudra,
every 100 years.
Bali's only Buddhist monastery that lies 10 km southwest of Lovina beach
which was built in 1970 and consecrated in 1972 but got a great damages
by an earthquake in 1976. The temple has a wonderful hillside settings,
orange-tiled roofs stand over an entrance gate guarded by two fine Naga/dragon,
with an wooden alarm drum tower in the courtyard, a lower temple with a
gold Buddha from Thailand as the centerpiece and carved stone plaques showing scenes
from Buddha's life on all the main temples and also a colorful Buddhist grotto.
a center of gold and silver work. Original
designs in delicate filigree make Balinese jewelry one
of the most unusual styles in Asia. Although
individual pieces are elaborate, they have simple
origins in their making. Artisans use a tree stump
with a protruding iron spike as a pounding base, a
bamboo stem to catch the fillings, and a manually
operated gas pump for heat. As the most of the
Balinese crafts, gold and silver work is a hereditary
trade. Apprentices begin young, by the time the boys
are twelve, they are already producing fine ornaments
from the precious metals.
is the capital city of Bali province with
population around 350,000 people. It is a "village
city" with an aristocratic past that was born from the
ashes of the defeated Pemecutan court following the
Puputan massacre of 1906, Denpasar became a sleepy
administrative outpost during the Dutch time. Since
independence, and especially after it was made as the
capital city of Bali in 1958 it has been transformed
into a bustling city of some 350,000 souls that
provides administrative, commercial and educational
services not only to booming Bali, but to much eastern
Indonesia as well. Denpasar is the most dynamic city
east of Surabaya in east Jawa and arguably the richest
in the country. As a microcosm of both modern Bali and
modern Indonesia, Denpasar is easier to understand
than to see. Nevertheless, it awaits the intelligent
travelers who want to learn about the future as well
as the past, and who wishes to take home more than
just a few images. So forget your lens for a while,
forget the traditional villages and have a look at the
new urban Bali.