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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Rambut Siwi Temple

Rambut Siwi Temple is one of the biggest Hindu Temples in Bali located in Negara regency, west part of Bali. It is a beautiful Hindu shrine set in the cliff bank with wide Indian Ocean just in front of the temple. This temple has been renovated and moved to the top of hill for better location of worshiping to the god. Rambut Siwi Temple or local people call Pura Rambut Siwi is supported by the local resident including the maintenance, ceremony and other activities.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Ngaben (The Cremation Ceremony)


Ngaben or the Cremation Ceremony is the ritual performed to send the dead through the transition to his next life. The village Kul Kul, hanging in the tower of the village temple, will sound a certain beat to announce the departure of the deceased. The body of the deceased will be placed at Bale Delod, as if he were sleeping, and the family will continue to treat him as if he were still alive yet sleeping. No tears are shed, for he is only gone temporarily and he will reincarnate into the family.

The Priest consults the Dewasa to determine the proper day for the ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, the body of the deceased is placed inside a coffin which is then placed inside a sarcophagus in the form of a buffalo (called Lembu) or a temple structure called Wadah made of paper and light wood. The Wadah will be carried to the village cremation site in a procession.

Balinese Wedding Ceremony

Balinese Wedding Ceremony is a unique wedding procession based on Balinese Hindu rituals. As usual wedding ceremony, Balinese Wedding ceremony is unforgettable momentum for the human being where the procession is followed by Hindu rituals, custom regulation and the perfect day based on Balinese Hindu Calendar. A marriage couple will use the beautiful uniforms which are all adapted from the local during the procession.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Tirta Empul - Tampak Siring Temple

Tirta Empul Temple or Tampak Siring Temple is a holy spring water temple located in Tampak Siring Village, Gianyar regency and it is about 39 km eastwards from Denpasar town. It is set in the dale and encircled by the hill. In the west side of this temple, there is an Indonesian President palace which has been found by the first president. The name of Tirta Empul is loaded in a inscription which is kept at Sakenan Temple, Manukaya village, Sub district of Tampak Siring, about 3 km from Tirta Empul Temple. In this inscription, the Tirta Empul is named by the Tirta Ri Air Hampul and then the name has changed into Tirta Hampul and finally become the Tirta Empul. Tirta Ri air hampul is meaning the water emerge or the holy pool (Petirthan) which is the water emerge from the land.

Kintamani

Kintamani is the most favorite tourist destinations in Bali with the active volcano of mount Batur and beautiful lake. Kintamani is surrounded by the captivating nature and there are six ancient villages around cauldron of Batur Lake which is often conceived by Bali Age Village. The local people from these Bali Age villages own the unique cultures, houses and life style. Kintamani Area is consisted of some Villages those are Kedisan Village, Buahan, Abang, Trunyan, Songan, South Batur, Middle Batur, North Batur, Sukawana and Kintamani Village . The total of resident in these area are about 15 thousand who are mostly working as farmer, merchant, or work at industrial tourism.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sakenan Temple


Sakenan Temple is a Hindu Temple located in the northwest of Serangan Village, Sub district of Denpasar and Badung regency. It is about 10 KM south part of Denpasar Town. We see a coastal view with beautiful sea, hill consecution and Nusa Dua Beach which are located in south side. The structure of Sakenan Temple is divided into 2 groups those are Sakenan Temple is a temple complex which is located in eastside and Dalem Sakenan Temple is a temple complex located in west side.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Sangeh Monkey Forest


Sangeh is a small fertile monkey forest dwelling by the group of monkeys. It is located in Sangeh countryside, Badung Regency, north part of Denpasar town. It is one of tourist destinations in Bali which is strategically located beside of the road. The good road has been provided to reach this place and many tourists has come to this place to see the cute of monkeys.

In the Sangeh Monkey Forest, a protected grove of nutmeg trees where tribes of monkeys dwell as honored guests can be found a spacious temple known as Pura Bukit Sari Sangeh. This temple originally built by the royal family of Mengwi, and is now taken care of by the people from the village of Sangeh.

Kuta Beach


Kuta is the most famous tourist places in Bali. It is famous with the spectacular white sandy beach, several of hotels from luxury and until budget hotels are available, hilarious nightlife, plenty of restaurants with international cuisine, bars, pub, Water Boom Park and shopping center. It is one stop place for holiday in Bali by offering the plenty of selection we need and make it the right place to visit on your vacation in Bali.

Kuta in addition  to being the Sunset Site Number One, with its daily spectacular sunsets, it is also the centre of night life activities in Southern Bali and a shopping mecca, with its lines of shops, boutiques, and galleries. Restaurants line up the streets as well as the Bachfront,Hotels, ranging from a small, inexpensive homestay to a luxurious resort, will ready accomodate you.

Batur Temple


Batur Temple, also known as Ulun Danu Batur Temple, is located in Kalanganyar, Batur village, Kintamani, approximately 900 meters above sea level. It is also known as the Temple of the Crater Lake, dedicated to the Lake Goddess Ida Batara Dewi Ulun Danu, and Tirta Empul, where run the holiest waters of Bali, believed to have magical curative powers.

Batur Temple is the second largest temple in the island. Huge ceremony, called Ngusaba ke Dasa, is held here every year.In the past, Batur Temple was located on the south western slope of mount Batur. After the destructive eruption in 1917 which ruined the temple. Head of the village along with the villagers brought the surviving shrines and rebuilt Batur Temple to the higher place in Kalanganyar.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Sanur


Sanur is one of Bali's biggest traditional villages but it's also one of the most established tourist areas. Sanur was Bali's first beach resort but still retains its Balinese character and old style village ambiance. On the southeastern side of Bali, Sanur beach is easily reachable from Denpasar, about a 5 to 10 minute drive. Sanur is an excellent site to watch the sun rises, as we jog along the white sandy beach. Being one of the first resorts developed in Bali, Sanur maintains its traditions. Only a stone thrown away from the beach, ancient temples stand as solemn as they have been in centuries past.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Batukaru Temple


Pura Luhur Batukaru, a unique sacred mountain sanctuary and royal temple of Tabanan dynasty, situated on the foot of mount Batukaru, 23 km north of Tabanan, built to venerate deities of mountains and lake.

Based on the scripture, the temple was founded in 11th century by Empu Kuturan, a great Hindu sage who established six main temple of Bali. At that time, this temple was a sanctuary for hermits. In 1604, the temple was attacked and partially destroyed by the king of Buleleng, Anglurah Panji Sakti, but his troops were beaten back by millions of bees unleashed by the protective spirit of the temple. Pura Luhur Batukaru was not rebuilt until 1959, even though pilgrims had continued to worship in rubble.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Goa Lawah Temple


Pura Goa Lawah (the Bat Cave Temple) is one of the island's nine special Sad Kahyangan Temples, and as such it is the designated holy place to honour the God Maheswara who resides in this section of the island. Religious processions visit the temple every day, and it is a particular focus for religious rites associated with death. Goa Lawah Temple located along the coast of southeastern Bali just west of Candidasa (see map). The center of the temple is built around a cave filled with thousands of bat that make the roof of the cave their homes. Its entrances are guarded by a temple believed to be found by a sage nine centuries ago.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Tanah Lot Temple

One of Bali's most important sea temples, Pura Tanah Lot ("Temple of Land in the Middle of the Sea") is a spectacular sight, especially at sunset.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Uluwatu Temple

Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali's kayangan jagat (directional temples) and guards Bali from evil spirits from the SW, in which dwell major deities, in Uluwatu's case; Bhatara Rudra, God of the elements and of cosmic force majeures. Bali's most spectacular temples located high on a cliff top at the edge of a plateau 250 feet above the waves of the Indian Ocean. Uluwatu lies at the southern tip of Bali in Badung Regency. Dedicated to the spirits of the sea, the famous Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple is an architectural wonder in black coral rock, beautifully designed with spectacular views. This is a popular place to enjoy the sunset. Famous not only for its unique position, Uluwatu also boasts one of the oldest temples in Bali, Pura Uluwatu.

Balinese Penjor


A penjor is basically a long tapered bamboo pole that is stood vertically in the ground, often on the roadside, and decorated in coconut leaves. Due to their length of sometimes more than ten metres, they droop charmingly over the pavement like an ancient street lamp.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Besakih Temple


Besakih Temple (Pura Besakih) is the biggest Hindu temple in Bali which the local people call Pura Besakih. It owns beautiful view from the top of temple area where we can see the wide nature panorama until to the ocean so that way this temple is many visited by tourists from all over the world. Besakih Temple is located in Besakih countryside, Rendang sub district, Karangasem regency, east part of the island. It is located in southwest side bevel of mount Agung, the biggest mounts in Bali. It is because pursuant to Agung Mount confidence is holiest and highest mount in Bali Island.

Pura


A pura is a Balinese Hindu temple and the place of worship for the adherents of Balinese Hinduism in Indonesia. Most of the puras are found on the island of Bali, as Hinduism is the predominant religion in the island; however many puras exist in other parts of Indonesia where there are significant numbers of Balinese people. Mother Temple of Besakih is the most important, the largest and holiest temple in Bali. A large number of puras have been built in Bali, leading it to gain the nickname "the Island of a Thousand Puras".


Etymology

The term pura originates from the Sanskrit word (-pur, -puri, -pura, -puram, -pore), meaning "city", "walled city", "towered city", or "palace". During the development of the Balinese language the term pura came to refer to a religious temple complex, while the term puri came to refer to palace, the residence of kings and nobles, similar to Javanese kratons.


Friday, November 12, 2010

Gebogan

You know those huge offerings of fruit that women carry to the temple in Bali – those are called gebogan (g’bogan). Basically, they are arrangements of fruit, colourful flowers, cooked chicken, small rice pyramids, grated coconut, roasted peanuts and sweet cakes stacked on top of one another, forming cylindrical towers. These objects are not always combined together, however, and you will often find gebogan made up of either just flowers or fruit, depending on the purpose. The offerings are attached to a banana tree trunk by sharp bamboo skewers. The base of a gebogan can be either a wooden dulang or a metal bokor which support the weight of the tower. Coconut-leaf decorations, known as sampian, ornament the top of the offerings.

Banten

The name of Banten is probably the most productive word in the daily life of Balinese traditional mothers or house wives, both in the villages or in the bustling cities. The existence of Banten in the life of Balinese has been so preponderant on the religious practices. It looks on physical appearance that Hindu in Bali is a ritual not a religion. Based on the various manuscripts originated from 16th to 18th century the influence of the myth has been so great in the life of religion. Here are some type of Banten so far mostly made by the Hindu families for the ritual. Actually, the priest and their followers such as "tukang banten" or banten makers have developed the variety of it at almost unlimited types and shapes. From unlimited creation of complex young coconut leaves, cookies, plants, meat cooking, and bamboo works. The use of various flowers is determinant on every type of Banten. A simple explanation about banten is a symbolic offering of human being to the gods and nether world with arrangement as much as beautiful appearance can be made. So from this definition writer believed that the unlimited variations born. Unable to explain each symbol, the tukang banten must have made every effort to give meaning to the symbol. That is why from one another there is no common consent concerning the meaning of the symbols.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

PANCA YADNYA

Panca is Five (5),Yadnya is Rituals
Panca Yadnya means five rituals which consist of
1.      Dewa Yadnya
2.      Pitra Yadnya
3.      Rsi Yadnya
4.      Manusa Yadnya
5.      Bhuta Yadnya

Rituals or yadnya is a part of Balinese duty in their life by presenting offerings to the God called Dewa Yadnya, offerings addressed to the spirits is Bhuta yadnya, offerings to the Ancestors called Pitra yadnya, offerings who addressed to Priests or Holy people is Rsi yadnya, offerings who addressed to the human is called Manusa Yadnya.