Denpasar, Bali’s Capital Town
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A City Where More faces of Indonesia Appear
The capital of Bali is often considered a sprawling and noisy city that has attracted thousands of inhabitants from the rest of the island. It is also the first stop-over point for any visitor to Bali. Arriving at Ngurah Rai Airport, one is struck immediately by the warmth of the hosts.
The city is indeed Filled with treasures from its rich and colorful past. Why the airport itself is named after a freedom fighter, Ngurah Rai, who led a small band of soldiers towards the end of 1946, in the struggle against the colonial rulers of that time, the Dutch.
In almost similar circumstances to an earlier episode in Balinese history, known as Puputan Badung when the massacre cum mass suicide of the rulers and followers of the kingdom of Badung took place, all 94 soldiers led by Ngurah Rai, were slaughtered by the Dutch. A huge monument to this famed freedom fighters stands just outside the airport.
The actual place where the fight took. is now called Marga Rana. The 20th of November is designated in Bali as Hari Pahlawan Marga Rana that is celebrated with parades and other public ceremonies.
In many ways the center of life in the city revolves around Puputan Square. In the center of the Square is a bronze memorial for those who lost their lives in the one-sided struggle with the Dutch. At one corner of the Square stands a 5 meter high statue made of stone that is dedicated to the ‘Great Teacher’ - Shiva. What makes this an interesting feature is the fact that the face to the east is that of Indra (Iswara), while that to the south is that of Brahma. To the north is Vishnu and to the west is Mahadewa.
Also within the Square is a. very ‘modern’ looking Pura Jagatnata, the “Temple of the Lord of the World” Within is to be found a gilded statue of the Supreme God, Sanghyang Widhi Wasa.
Nearby stands the magnificent Bali Museum that was established in 1932. On display are archaeolog ical Finds, dance masks, handicraft, paintings, as well as architectural illustrations of the various Balinese temples. A must visit.
Do not forget an early morning visit to the Central Market, that is housed in a three-story building and seems to be spilling over into the surrounding areas. The morning is best as it a hive of activity with the whole of the first floor devoted to meats and fish, dairy products and even flowers. If looking for spices, head for the second floor. As for the handicrafts, they are on the third level.
Kumbasari There are several other markets that are well worth the visit in the capital city. For instance there is the Kumbasari, which just across from the Central Market. For the souvenir hunter there are two streets, Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Thamrin that house all that you may want to remind you of your trip to Bali.
Speciality and art shops abound here and elsewhere in Denpasar. The Pasar Burung (Bird Market) should also be visited for a closer look at several fine-feathered creatures, and a whole host of cats, dogs, even snakes and aquarium fish.
The night market or Pasar Malam usually starts in the late afternoon and is a favorite eating spot and for a relaxed atmosphere as you watch the world go by.
Make your way towards Sanur and you will find the Niti Mandala Civic Centre that houses several of the government offices, including that of the Bali Government Tourist Office. What’s interesting to note is the architectural style used in the construction of the buildings that seem to blend Balinese age-old designs with that of the modem era.
Some interesting places to visit at Sanur are the Pasar Seni (Art Market) and the Beach Market. Half way between Denpasar and Sanur is the Sauggraha Kriya Asti, the handicraft centre.
The city hosts all the offices of the national administration and most of the Universities and schools of higher learning, with 25,000 of students. Its economy is geared to the needs of the nearby resorts of Sanur, Kuta, and Nusa Dua where many of its inhabitants commute daily. The dynamism of the local economy has brought to Denpasar not only Balinese from other parts of the island, but newcomers from all over the country, both as investors and managers, and even as laborers. In Denpasar at least, ethnic homogeneity is a thing of the past.
The non-Balinese make up perhaps 30% of the city’s population. There are several kampongs Jaw a as well as Chinese and Arab or Punjabi areas, but on the whole, except in the “old villages of the city”, it is homogeneously Balinese, the population is very mixed. Denpasar is a laboratory of nation-building. The call of the muezzin, the rumble of the beleganjur orchestra and the parson’s sermon are all part of the sounds of the day. This heterogeneity has important cultural consequences: the Indonesian language is increasingly taking over the role of Balinese in daily communication.
In spite of this national flavor, Denpasar is also the place where the Balinese rethink their religion. It is where the learned men of today translate from English the holy books from India, while forgetting their literature; where new prayers are taught, and a dynamic interpretation of Hinduism is being pro posed. Beside this reinvention of a tradition, Denpasar is also home to a new class of cosmopolitan Balinese yuppies, who are Jakarta or Western rather than Bali-orient ed. Denpasar is in other words the stage of Balinese contradictions.
Denpasar is not an easy place to visit. If you want to see the old parts of the city, it is suggested that you take a drive across the old villages of Kedaton, Sumerta, Tonja and especially Kesiman, whose brick style shrines and gates are the simplest and most beautiful in Bali. The Moaspait temple, on the road to Tabanan, dates back to the 14th century, and it is another marvel of brick architecture.
Other beautiful traditional monuments are the temple and nearby palace of Kesiman, the Panambangan temple near the Pemecutan palace, and the Satria temple, with its nearby bird market. Pemecutan and Kesiman were two of the three “united kingdoms” on the territory of Denpasar. The third one was Badung, which is the name now given to the nearby regency. On the modem side of the tradition, an interesting temple is the Pura Jagatnatha, located right on the central city square. It was built in the seventies to be the “territorial temple” of Denpasar, a monument of modern Balinese Hinduism, open to all. A favorite place of discussions for modem Hindu intellectuals, its tall main ” padmasana” shrine, or seat of the “Supreme Siwa”, embodies the new importance given to the idea of the One God in Balinese religion.
Next to the Jagatnatha temple, a visit to the Bali Museum is a must. It has the finest collections of Balinese antiquities. Of particular interest is the stylistic simplicity of the items of its collection, most of which were gathered in the thirties. It shows that the overly decorative baroque style of Balinese art is of recent historical import.
Denpasar is also the place where Bali displays its image of modernity. The Taman Budaya or Arts Center, to the east of the city, is a sprawling complex devoted to the preservation of Balinese culture, although its architecture takes a turn to the gigantic. It hosts the gigantic Ksiramawa amphitheater and a museum with an important collection of paintings and sculptures from the period of the Baline se renewal. There is nothing on contemporary art, though. But Denpasar is also a modem city. It offers a large array of shop- ping centers, restaurants and food centers. For those interested in textiles and handicraft, go to the Pasar Badung and Pasar Kumbasari markets, located on either side of the Badung river in the old city center. The new center has now moved southward, in the Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Diponegoro area; the Matahari Department Stores, New Dewata Ayu, Tiara and Libi department stores and the Sudirman Mall cater to all the needs of the visitor-cum- customer, at fixed prices. For food, the south of the city of Denpasar offers a complete range of restaurants all along the sides.
Sanur
For administrative purposes, the resort of Sanur is included into the city of Denpasar. White sand, coconut trees, and a few meters away, some of the most cozy hotels of the island, Sanur was Bali’s first beach resort. But it is also, a few hundred meters inland, a village traditionally run by the brahmins -the priestly caste of Bali. It has also some of the best international hotels on the island.
The Sanur area, which is the beach front of Denpasar, now extending from Sanur west ward to the Suwung marshes and the island of Serangan, is heavily steeped in history. The Blanjong inscription, written in Sanskrit in 913, is the oldest of its kind in Bali. It tells of the founding of a Buddhist monastery. Other traces of contacts with the outside world per sists to this day. The villages of Renon, on the road to Denpasar, and that of Semawang, near the Sanur Beach hotel, still host a Baris Cina dance, with warriors wearing Portuguese-like 16th century helmets, perhaps the sign of early contacts with Europeans.
Sanur was for centuries an important place of trade, as witnessed by an important population of mixed Chinese and Balinese ancestry, who are perfectly integrated in the Balinese com m unity at large. The nearby island of Serangan has a Moslem community of Bugis fishermen, the descendants of the famous traders and sea- farers of old. But Sanur is best known for its Brahmin community, in particular in the villages of Taman and Anggarkasih. These brahmins live well inland, away from the hectic beach front, in com pounds recognizable by their elaborate gates. They are reputed for their black magic, and local stories abound of learned men fighting it out through witch intermediaries. These people were also staunchly independent, and when the Dutch landed in 1906 on their way to Denpasar. they let the troops pass without a single fight: they had a grudge against their ruler, and thus avoided the puputan fight to the death.
Sanur’s tourist days started in the thirties. Many expatriates, writers and other luminaries had their beach bungalows there. After independence, the Dutch painter Le Mayeur elected to reside there and gained fame for his affair and then marriage with one of the best dancers of his days, Ni Polok. Le Mayeur’s impressionistic work-highly damaged- can still be seen at the Le Mayeur Museum near the Grand Bali Beach hotel. It is also in Sanur that the Indonesian government made its first attempt at mass tourism: the construction of the bunker Bali Beach, built with Japanese reparation war funds. The hotel burned in 1993, and has been restored even grander than before-with the addition of a Bali-style roof. The Hyatt, built in the 70’s, is famous for its garden and its Balinese lobby, built like a huge traditional Balinese “wantilan”.
The charm of Sanur lies in the relative quietness of its social scene. It is the resort of families or of visitors wanting the right mix of beach and Balinese life. It has also the immense advantage of being located much nearer from the inland tourist spots -it is just half an hour from Ubud, instead of an hour from Kuta or Nusa Dua. Another plus for Sanur, when compared to Kuta, is the quiet- ness of its beach, which makes it a favorite walking place.
The road passes inland, and not along the beach itself. The beach itself varies from black sand in Padang Galak to white sand after the Grand Bali Beach down to Semawang. Farther westward, the coast turns to swamp until the village of Suwung, where is located the small embarkation pier to the island of Serangan .This island is presently being developed into Bali’s future resort. It also holds several objects of interest. The most famous is the Pura Sakenan temple, built in the coral-stone architecture of the coast. The temple “comes to life” at Kuningan day, when thousands of worshippers and accompanying gods, cross the narrow strait to pay their respect to Empu Kuturan, the 10th century reformer of Balinese Hinduism.
There is also a turtle hatchery on the island. Turtle meat used to be a favorite Balinese delicacy. But in the sixties and seventies, turtle-shell became a favorite material for the making of jewelry and luxury boxes and the tortoises all but disappeared. Hence the hatchery. In the meanwhile, the local Bugis fishermen have lost their main liveli hood and have to catch fish and sea-shells as far as East Indonesia and the Timor Sea.