Karangasem Regency
Karangasem is Bali’s Eastern most regency, and its gate to the Lesser Sunda Islands across the Lombok strait, which is a busy international sea lane. The regency is named after the kingdom of Karangasem, established in the 18th century, which was Bali’s most powerful well into the 19th century. The knight warriors from Karangasem conquered Western Lombok, which still has to this day an important Balinese minority. The Dutch subjected Karangasem after the Buleleng war (1846-1849). Karangasem has the most varied landscape of the island, it hosts Bali’s mother temple, the Pura Besakih temple. and its has one of the most exotic beach resorts of Bali.
Bali’s highest mountain is the Gunung Agung (3,142m). Throughout the Indonesian archipelago the mountain is the abode of the deified ancestors. The Balinese called it To Langkir, or the man of the mountain. To this native concept has been added a Hindu one. According to the Babad Pasek, the island of Bali was unstable until a chunk of the Mahameru, the Indian cosmic mountain, was cut off by the gods and transferred to Bali, complete with its pantheon of Hindu gods. As the island’s main mountain, Mt, Agung is therefore host to Bali’s highest gods and ancestors.
Gunung Agung has also contributed to the making of Karangasem’s natural face. When it erupted in 1963, it obliterated many temples and villages; and killed several thousand people. Its raining ashes destroyed crops in Bali and throughout much of Eastern Java. Wide expanses of black ash and basaltic stones are now a common feature in the area from Goa Lawah to the West to Tianyar to the North.
The extent of the damage is clear enough around the Ujung palace. A mix of Balinese and early-century Dutch architecture, the palace was heavily damaged by the eruption and the 1976 earthquake. It is now virtually destroyed. More than thirty years after the eruption, many buildings have been restored. The eruption has left traces i.e. its ashes contribute to the fertility of the rice fields, while its lava gives some areas the look of a savanna landscape. The eruption also prepared Bali for the 1990s boom in tourism development. It provides land and the famous “batu Karangasem” stone used on the island’s construction sites. Everyday, hundred of trucks descend from all over Bali to pick up the materials.
Besakih
Mount Agung towers majestically over most of the landscapes of Eastern and Northern Karangasem. At its foot lies the largest temple of Bali, the Pura Besakih. A cosmic temple, Besakih symbolizes the male principle, while the Batur symbolizes its female complementary.
Aerial View of Besakih Temples Compound taken by R. HelmiBesakih is actually a huge complex of temples. Traditionally, each kinship group of Bali has a temple there, where their members make among other things the final rites of their dead. Each kingdom is also represented, and the Pura Penataran Agung is the temple of the whole world.
Festivals are scheduled in accordance with the Balinese calendar, each individual temple of the complex having its own ceremonies. Some big ceremonies however, such as Kuningan, Galungan and the Odalan of the Pura Penataran Agung are held throughout the complex.
Anyone climbing the cosmic Agung should ask permission from the temple’s authority. The reason is that no one should stand higher than the temple, when a ceremony is held. One can ascend the mountain from behind the temple or through the village of Sebudi village, near Selat: this side is better for seeing down into the crater of Agung.
From both places, it is advised to hire a guide. Another way is through Tanah Aron. Climbing the Agung is quite challenging; it takes 6-8 hours on a sandy track. If you think the cosmic Agung is too much a challenge for you, many lesser hills are available. Trekking is a good way to enjoy in Karangasem, and the routes are abundant.
If you came to Karangasem for scenery, don’t miss Bukit Jambul. Not only are its rice terraces famous, but it offers a wide panorama down to the coast and, if you are lucky enough to make your visit on a clear day, you may even catch a view of Mt. Rinjani, across the strait in Lombok, Indonesia’s third highest mountain. Try also Putung for another panorama. The area is also famous for its salak fruits.
Natural landscapes are a source of artistic inspiration. This is particularly true for Sidemen, a village much vaunted by the German painter-musician Walter Spies m the ’30s. He built a studio in nearby Iseh. The area is also famous for its endek and songket weavings. Another beautiful vistas of paddy fields is found around the Tirta Gangga water palace near Karangasem. Here, the atmosphere is still that of the glorious days of the kingdom of old. The palace contains a network of pools fed by a natural spring. It was built for the pleasure of the King. Tirta Gangga is now a pleasant hill resort.
If ever culture is to mean grandeur and palaces, the Palace of Karangasem is worth particular attention. It actually consists of a network of pun or princely households. The one that may be visited is the Puri Kangin. Its various bale are a beautiful combination of the mixed Chinese, European and Balinese architecture in fashion at the time. It was built around the end of the last century.
Tenganan is one of the few Balinese communities which have resisted the Javanization process brought about by the Majapahit invasion of 1343. As such it is called a Bali Aga village -mountain Balinese village. It has kept its traditional architecture of parallel rows of houses. There you can see the making of the double-weaving ikat, the Geringsing. The village is also reputed for its lontar traditional manuscripts. You can even have. your lontar with an English translation if you want. Tenganan, now a high place of anthropological tourism, is also home to the famous Gamelan Selunding. And it has its own set of customs, including a ritual fight with thorny pandan leaves between youth of mating age. Many other villages are of great interest in the area: Bungay a, Asak and Timbrah all of which have their own rituals and dances.
The Lombok Straits is a rich fishing ground where dolphins love to jump and play. The port to Lombok is Padang Bai, which is also a good beach and diving resort. You can hire a glass-bottomed boat to the reef, dive off shore or just lazily hang around in the beach’s cafes. If you can, be at the beach before sunrise. It is when the fishermen, who have spent the whole night on the waves, land with their night catch. Some of the Karangasem beaches are Bali’s answer to the Pacific islands, especially in the Tulamben and Amed area, on the Northern part of the strait. Already booming tourist area, with little coves of white sand. Tulamben is a favorite diving spot with a World War II shipwreck underwater.
The most famous beach of Karangasem though, is Candi Dasa, that is often mentioned as the replica of Kuta in Eastern Bali, except for one thing: there is a Gandhian center run by Bali’s Mrs. Gedong Bagus Oka. The rest is all the comforts you can expect to find in a tourist spot; restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, night life, live music and a wide range of accommodations. Passing Candi Dasa from Denpasar, there is one of the best white beaches in Karangasem, the unspoiled Perasi beach near Manggis. You have to walk about 1 km to get into the touch of this sunrise beach. Finally, Karangasem offers rafting in the Telaga Waja.