Don’t Miss These 7 Balinese Traditional Villages When You're in Bali
Author, Ekarini
For more info about Bali: Bali Travel Info
Photo: Barong Dance Batubulan
Traveling to a special place. I like to learn the culture
and authentic food local people eat of the place I visited. If you are like me, you like to explore the
culture and the local lifestyle, Bali is
one of the richest cultures in the world.
Bali has several traditional villages you don’t find anywhere else in
the world. It is nice to learn a few
words of the local language, and it’s fun to say hi to the locals and you feel
belong in that place.
Here are 7 Balinese traditional
villages you don’t want to miss when visiting Bali island. My suggestion for the newbie to Bali, you
should start from the Southern Bali. It
is nice to settle and relaxed in the
hotel is not so far from the airport.
The next day, you begin to explore the island from the South.
1. The Batubulan Village
I recommend to visit this village first,
where you can have the feeling about Bali.
The Batubulan village is located
8 kilometers from Denpasar. The village
is famous for its Barong and Keris dance performance. The village is actually an agrarian village,
and through the years transform the village to a creative living because of the villagers are very creative with full of
art inspirations to create the spectacular Balinese dance performance of Barong
and Keris Dance. Definitely, you don’t
want to miss the Barong dance performance that perform daily. You can choose one of the 5 different stages
in the countryside surrounding by the rice fields: Puseh Temple Stage, Tegal Tamu Stage,
Denjalan Stage, Sahadewa Stage and Sila Budaya Stage. In this village you'll also ind stone carving
from small to gigantic sizes, art paintings, and many handicraft shops with
affordable price and suitable for family gifts.
Photo: Bisnis Bali
2.
The Celuk Village
This village next to the Batubulan
village. This village is Bali’s
major center for goldsmiths and silversmiths jewelries. This village is not far from the Sukawati district of Bali (Art market). When you
drive on the main road of jalan Raya Celuk, you will see the lined up of
galleries and jewelry workshops. This
village is the famous stop over for tourist tour itineraries to the Ubud and
Kintamani tour.
This is the perfect place to buy jewelry with the intricate Balinese style work
of art. The gold and
silver jewelries crafted here are of high quality and feature unique and
elaborate designs as the craftsmen are known for their skills.
The gold and silver items can be bought as souvenirs and mass export items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, studs, broaches and many other Balinese ceremonial accessories and adornments.
The gold and silver items can be bought as souvenirs and mass export items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, studs, broaches and many other Balinese ceremonial accessories and adornments.
Photo: I Dewa Kompiang Pasek
3.
The Batuan Village
This village is famous for its traditional
painting, this place also a center for wood carving and dancing. This is where
you can find Balinese fine art at its truest form, with no influence from the
western or any other artistic style.
You can find special painting between artistic painting styles that have
been shared from generation to generation (called Batuan style).
The Batuan village also offers
the best Keris makers on the
island. One of the famous artists is my
uncle. Tourists can explore the
beautiful rice fields and friendly people here. Don’t miss the Frog dance in Batuan
dance pavilion, and the only in this village you can watch a traditional Frog
dance with a traditional music called Genggong (mouth harps) was created in this village.
Photo: Bali Tour
4.
The Mas Village
This is another village which famous for
its high quality wood carving with its characteristic style. This authentic style makes the Balinese art,
famous around the world. The village is
located approximately 6 km South of Ubud hub destination. Here you can watch how they make the wood
carving, you can order your specific art it suits your taste. This village is definitely a must visit
for you of art lovers.
Photo: Bali Travel Info
5.
The Penglipuran Village
If you want the true Bali experience
and away from the city hustle bustle of the tourist areas, you should visit the
Penglipuran village.
Bali’s Penglipuran village is awarded as
the 3 top cleanest village in the world besides Giethoorn village in Belanda,
and Mawlynnong in India. The village is located in Bangli regency, one
of the nine regency in Bali. When you
travel from Denpasar, about one hour and a half (45 kilometers) to the Bangli
regency. The Penglipuran village is a traditional village
which has their own character, belong to the district Kubu- Sub district Kubu
and untouchable by modernization lifestyle.
It’s located at the height of 700 meters above the sea level as giving
the fact the fresh air and cooler weather than southern Bali island. It is very pleasant to walk around the clean
village.
The Penglipuran’s panorama, it’s clean
village, and its unique culture attracts a lot of visitors from all over the
world. The place is also easy to reach from the neighboring tourist area, and
the village is not far from the coolness of Kintamani, Tampaksiring and Tirta
Empul (Gianyar Regency).
The village administration is very simple,
it consists of a custom village with one Banjar
and administration is very easy to manage.
The Balinese traditional houses which are
divided into two parts, the west and east of single rod. All the houses have
the same form of the front. This section is made of dirt material for walls and
bamboo for the roof. The front of the house has angkul-angkul or gate which
functioned as a building guard. At the special religious ceremony, this section
will be a place of offerings and is used as a place to worship God and
ancestors.
The houses were lined from top to bottom
from the top of the hill. Among the houses have a very clean village
street. Mostly Village roads are quite,
but it will be more people on the road in the afternoon when people go home
from their work day, and some mingle
with their neighbors to socialize. The
main road stretching from north to south are not made of asphalt, but from the
rock mountain that is modified into paving or stone ConBlock.
The Village territory is divided into three
parts called the Tri Mandala. In the north corner of the village there is a
shrine (the main theater), namely Pura Bale Agung (Upgrading), which became the
main place of Balinese Hindu ceremony. Furthermore, in the middle there are
parks and residential homes.
In the lowest part of the village,
there is a cemetery complex (Setra). The concept of the Tri Mandala does not
only apply to village spatial layout, but also for residential each home. Each house also follows the concept of the
Tri Mandala. On the front part of
buildings, there are buildings angkul-angkul
or gate and empty space called Natah in
the middle part; the center is the family gathering place, and at the very back
there is a toilet.
Photo: Bali Star Island
6.
The Tenganan Village
The Tenganan village or Tenganan
Pegringsingan is a village in the Karangasem
regency. It is known by
anthropologists to be one of the most secluded societies of the Indonesian archipelago. In this technology era, the very few villages
in Bali or Indonesia that has a well preserved culture. In this village called “ Bali Aga” meaning,
this village still holds to the original traditions, rituals, ceremonies, and rule of the ancient
Balinese. This village invites you to
see its very unique layout of the building and traditional housing made from
natural materials. Traditional music called Gamelan Selunding and double ikat
textiles that you only see here.
Best time to visit is when they hold
the Mekare-Kare tradition every June and Perang Pandan (Pandan leaf war)
on July.
Photo: Adventure Travel
7.
The Trunyan Village
This is a very special village in
Bali. The mountain village of Trunyan can
be found at the foot of Mt. Abang, at a remote and isolated location on the eastern
shore of Lake Batur.
Contrary to elsewhere in Hindu Bali the
Trunyanese do not cremate their dead. Instead, after a ritual cleansing with
rainwater, the body of the deceased is placed in a bamboo cage under the taru menyan tree ( special fragrant
tree) is known to only grow here. Until the forces of nature, in particular the
wind, has dissolved the body tissues until only the skeleton remains. Then the
skull is placed on a stairs-shaped stone altar which is located some 500 meters
north of the Banjar Kuban, a special place which can only be reached by
boat. It is mesmerizing to many is no odor from the decomposing bodies
are present, which the locals believe is neutralized by the tree’s myrrh-like
fragrance. Skulls and bones on
moss-covered stairs are quite the scene here, definitely not for the nervous
type.
Happy Travels!
