Gianyar Regency
What created the image of Bali? Is it its gorgeous nature, with its towering volcanoes, pristine beaches and glittering rice fields carved into the landscape? Or its lithe little dancers and long, colorful processions? Just name it. The regency of Gianyar has it all. Gianyar is indeed the center of Balinese cultural tourism.
Gianyar history is arguably the richest of Bali. It has one of South East Asia oldest prehistoric artifacts, a huge kettledrum known as the “moon of Pedjeng”, made in a bronze technique originating in Dongson, Vietnam. The Bedulu area holds Buddhist sites from the 7-10 centuries, and it later became the capital of the kingdom of Bali until the Majapahit invasion (1343). Finally it is in Samprangan, near the town of Gianyar that the invaders built their first capital.
In the eighteen century, a son of the king of Klungkung established a principality in the village of Timbul -present day Sukawati-to reestablish order over the area between the Petanu and Ayung river which had been ravaged by the revolt of a magician, Balian Batur. Craftsmen, dancers and men of letters settled in the vicinity of the new palace, creating the court culture which has survived to this day. After a few generations, the crown was usurped by the king’s son-in-law, a lower prince from Beng, who moved the capital near his village of origin, in Gianyar.
Meanwhile the princes from the house of Sukawati moved northward and settled First in Peliatan and then Ubud. Their power peaked at the end of the nineteenth century, when the prince of Ubud, taking advantage of a power struggle in Gianyar, launched himself in a politic of expansion which made him the most powerful man in the kingdom. This was a few years before the Dutch intervention. Threatened by its neighbouring kingdoms, Gianyar then asked the Dutch for protection, and was integrated within the Dutch Indies in 1900. For the very first time, a king in Bali was made Stedehouder, the Dutch representative in his kingdom. This politics of “collaboration” avoided Gianyar to follow the fate of Denpasar and Klungkung, destroyed by the Dutch in the 1906-1908 “puputans”.
In the twenties, the foreign presence took a new garb. It became cultural. Not only did the Dutch undertake a policy of Balisering, aimed at protecting Bali from unwanted change, but they also let a few foreigners settle in the island and become active, albeit foreign, participants in the local culture.
A small colony of Western artists and literati established residence in Ubud with the help of the local ruler, Tjokorda Agung Sukawati. The most famous are the painter-musician Walter Spies, the painter Rudolf Bonnet, and the painter cum writer Miguel Covarrubias.
Working among the local artists, their presence soon generated new styles in painting and sculpture -the origin of today’s handicraft industry in the regency. From that period on, Gianyar in general, and Ubud in particular, are recognized as the “cultural center” of Bali. It is where the image of Bali as a land of artists is being created. The Ubud area has accommodations of all kinds catering to the needs of the cultured crowd.
Leaving Denpasar on the way to Ubud, the first village one crosses is Batubulan. Its stone carvers not only make statues based on the traditional Balinese iconography, but also Buddha’s, statues of the Virgin Mary and even deer after the latest kitsch fashion. Their works are exhibited all along the main road. Batubulan also specializes in the Barong dance set in a wantilan building, with a Balinese temple in the background. The dance symbolizes the never ending battle between the good and the evil. East of the main road, you can visit the Peyogan Agung temple of Ketewel.
Just after Batubulan, Celuk and nearby Singapadu are the centers of Balinese jewelry. Most of the silver jewels use the granulation technique. This jewelry, which has become famous over the years, is exported throughout the world.
After Celuk, the main road heads for Sukawati , which has a famous Pasar Seni or handicraft market. Set in two non-descript two-storey buildings, it sells just everything and anything. The price is as reasonable as you can make it. The market sells statues, silver works, textiles, traditional “lontar” books, paintings, garments, dance costumes, etc. At night, when the art market is closed, a night market pro- vides a good selection of Indonesian food. Again, at very reasonable price. The village of Sukawati is also home to puppet masters in Banjar Babakan. Some make leather puppets for sale, and to several miniature painters in Banjar Palak.
Batuan is famed for its dancers. The school of miniature painting also originates from Batuan. The Pura Desa temple dates back to the 10th century.
Further up on the road to Ubud is a village famed for its wood carvers, Mas. The village specializes in polished woodcarving. It offers the whole range of wood products: mythological characters, peasant types, wooden fruits or flowers, pop’ art or kitsch carving and even wooden toys. Some work shops have sculptors demonstrating the techniques. The Tilem Nyana art shop exhibits the works of Ida Bagus Nyana, one of the two great carvers of the thirties.
After Mas, one enters the Ubud area. Ubud is often considered the capital of Balinese culture, and it is the darling of cultural visitors. A former principality, it has several palaces and brahmins mansions as well as beautiful houses built in the architectural style of Gianyar. The best way to appreciate it is simply by walking in its small lanes away from the hectic center. Ubud gained its reputation in the twenties and thirties, when it became the center of the Balinese Renaissance of the arts. Important local artists still live there, especially in Taman (Meja), Pengosekan (visit the community of Dewa Nyoman Batuan) and Padangtegal.
It is also home to a small community of Indonesian and foreign artists. The cultural image is of paramount importance to the people of Ubud, and they have the best art museums of the country: the Museum Puri Lukisan specializes in painting from the thirties and fifties, although it has also more recent works from the Panestanan and Batuan schools. The Neka Museum, although it has a collection of Lempad works, has a rich collection of contemporary’ art, both Indonesian and foreign. The Agung Rai Museum of Arts, meanwhile, beside a contemporary collection, is the only museum to have a work by Walter Spies, and it houses a fascinating collection of the early works of the thirties. Beside a museum, it is also a “cultural center”, with dance performances, dance and painting lessons, seminars etc. Another museum is the Rudana Museum in Mas.
Ubud is an ideal place to see Balinese dance. Legong (in Pelia tan), Ramayana, Bans, Kecak (in Padangtegal), Fire Dance (in Bona) etc. are all shown nightly in Ubud itself or its vicinity. It also provide numerous opportunities to get a look at the real Bali, with its temple festivals and other colorful ceremonies. But people don’t come to Ubud only for its arts. The area is without compare for its countryside of lush gorges and shimmering rice fields. Nearby Sayan has arguably the best valley panorama of the island- and some of its best resort hotels. And if you ever missed your genetic evolution, there is a Monkey Forest in Ubud for you to ponder about it.
The Ubud market, set in the midst of galleries, bars and restaurants, has kept much of its traditional charm, with its squatting Balinese sellers, mostly females, haggling aloud among spices and vegetables. The market, also sells handicrafts, many of which are made in neighboring villages: Pengosekan, Tegalalang, Payangan, Peliatan, Pujung, Tampaksiring etc. Each village is specialized in one or two types of handicraft, which they produce at a very reasonable price. Most of these villages, especially those uphill from Ubud, are also located in the midst of stunning landscapes.
In Gianyar there are some of the most important archeological sites of the island. Most are located in the Pejeng- Bedulu area, 4 km from Ubud. In Pejeng is the farnous “Pedjeng moon” mentioned above, with a nearby archeological museum. But the village also has two ancient temples, the “Pura Pusering Jagat” and “Pura Kebo Ed an”. In nearby Bedahulu is the ancient Buddhist hermitage of Goa Gajah. Also called the Elephant Cave, it dates back to the 9-12th centuries. The cave holds several meditation niches and three linggam symbols of Siwa, while the courtyard has an ancient bathing pool with spring water gushing from the spouts of statues of maiden. See also the Yeh Pulu relief’s in the middle of the Bedulu rice fields. Ten kilometers up the road to Kintamani, one should visit the ancient mausoleum of Gunung Kawi, carved from the soft stone at the bottom of the Pakerisan valley in an eerie atmosphere of old trees and mossy stones. Two kilometers away is the Tirta Empul (Holy Spring) temple, whose bathing place is reputed to have curative powers. The village is known for its bone carvings and chessboard handicraft, as well as for its quilt and embroideries.
If one takes the road to Gianyar heading eastward, after the Kemenuh waterfall, is the village of Blahbatuh, with a beautiful set of princely and Brahmin mansions. The palace has an orchid garden. Nearby is the village of Bone, which specializes in bamboo furniture and lontar woven products. There is also a daily fire dance. On the road between Blahbatuh and Bedulu, make a stop in Kutri to see the statue of Durga, which is said to represent Erlangga’s mother, the original Rangda.
Gianyar itself is a small administrative town with one of the best preserved palaces of the island-closed to visitors. Abian Base has some of the best dance groups of the island. North of the town, small road head to Kintamani and Bangli through wonderful rice field terraces. In the. south are the village of Kramas, famous for its arja dance, and beautiful black sand beaches in Lebih, Maospait and Sabha.