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Badung
 The
district of Badung
covers less than one tenth of the island, but it is the
most highly populated region and plays an important role
in modern in Bali, as the seat of provincial Government
is in Denpasar, Bali’s capital city.
The major tourist
resort of Sanur, Kuta and Nusa Dua form the southern
constituents of the regency, and to the north it
stretches as far as Mengwi and Sangeh, a mosaic of
highly productive rice fields interspersed with
meandering rivers that have carved many deep valleys
through the landscape on their journey from the
mountains to the sea.
 The capital of the Badung
district, Denpasar is the largest city on the island, a
bustling, noisy city that has recently been extended to
the southeast in a large administrative district known
as the Niti Mandala, where the major offices of
government are situated.
Here, fronted by a fine stretch
of rice fields, can be found the major offices of the
Governor, the Department of Tourism, the Department of
Law and Immigration, Finance, Education and Agriculture,
along with the central Post Office and Television
Station. In other words, this is the heart of
administration for modern Bali, the intermediary link
between National Government in Jakarta and the local
Balinese Government.
In the centre of town there is
large open Puputan square, named after the suicidal
confrontation in 1906 between the Rajas of Badung and
the Dutch army. On the eastern side of this is the
Museum Bali and the relatively new state temple, Pura
Jagatnatha.
On the opposite side is the National
Military Headquarters for Bali, and on the northern side
the Governor’s residence. At the northwest corner of
this square is the main intersection that leads to the
major streets of Gajah Mada and Veteran street. Here a
great four-faced statue stands in the midst of a
roundabout, an image of the god Guru in his traditional
Hindu manifestation as the lord of the four dimensions.
In front of the Governor’s residence, dominating the
large grassy square, is a statue commemorating the Puputan
massacre in dramatic contemporary Indonesian
style.
Denpasar
Municipality
 Denpasar actually means
"north of the market" and the city has always
been the bustling hub of commerce for South Bali. Just
off the main street, beside the river, are the markets
of pasar Badung and Kumbasari shopping centre.
Every
night by about 11.00 pm women arrive from near and far
with truckloads of produce and a bustling night market
begins along the river embankment, lasting until dawn.
The market proper, in its spacious new three-story
building on the east banks of the river, begins in
stages as the other is being cleared away.
The large
parking area starts to fill up before dawn, and the
first sticks of incense are placed at the Pura Melanting
for the Goddess of prosperity as the market slowly stirs
itself and increases tempo to the peak hustle and bustle
of the day.
Here one finds everything
from fish and meat, fruit, vegetables, spices, dried
goods, hardware and commodities, to clothing, weavings
and basketry.
Kumbasari, on the
opposite side of the river, is more of an art market. It
has an extension of the daily market at ground level and
then tier upon tier of art shops that display a full
range of crafts from antique woodcarvings to woven
materials and paintings. This huge shopping complex is
open till 8.00 pm each night.
Just to the south of this
complex, further down the river bank, is an area which
comes alive in the evening with brightly-lit food
stalls, and kiosks selling a variety of clothes, batiks,
shoes, and other bargain-priced items. This is the night
market, or Pasar Malam, a popular place amongst the
locals and visitors alike to eat and shop at night.
Only two streets north of
Gajah Mada, on the corner of Nakula street and Veteran
street, is the dealer’s art market, Pasar Satria, a
sort of half-way house between artist and art-shop for
woodcarvings, paintings and other craft items. Here you
are bound to get a good bargain, as prices start at
wholesale level, but it is necessary to have a good eye
for quality, as sometimes rejects are sold alongside
superior pieces, with flaws that only an experienced eye
can detect. The art-market section is on the two
spacious upper floors, and there is a daily produce and
commodity market at ground level.
 The bird market, Pasar
Burung, is just a little further up veteran street at
the entrance to the Puri Satria. Parakeets and
cockatoos, songbirds and pigeons sometimes-even
peacocks, are sol here along with a variety of animals,
puppies, rabbits, and monkeys.
East Denpasar’s majored
market Pasar Kreneng is also a major bus terminal for
public transportation to east and central Bali. The
large open produce market and shopping centre closes
down in the afternoon just as stalls are being set up
outside for the brightly lit night market. Browsing here
in the evening can be great fun, and you can watch food
being freshly prepared at the many food stalls and
sample local delicacies.
Another popular night
market is the Pasar Malam Pekambingan, just of
Diponegoro street, in front of the new Kertha Wijaya
shopping centre. Strictly for food, and incredibly
reasonably priced, it is very popular amongst the local
townspeople. Eating out at these tiny "restaurants
on wheels", seated under canvas awnings, provides a
vignette of local life few people experience.
A recent addition to
Denpasar’s market collection is the modern supermarket
at the northern and of Jalan Sudirman known as Pasar
Swalayan. Previously a youth centre, the huge hall has
been converted to a modern shopping centre with
amusement facilities for children’s playground and
bird park.
South Denpasar has its
Pasar Sanglah, a bustling morning market which starts
early, reaches its peak at about 6.00 a.m., and is quiet
again by mid-morning, with the odd late shopping
wandering through. There’s also a Pasar malam just
around the corner, much frequented by the university
students from the nearby campus.
The Ubung bus station in
northwest Denpasar, terminal for public transport to
west Bali and Java, is also a bustling market, an ideal
place to stop and pick up fresh fruit on any westward
journey.
Scattered throughout the
city is many other early morning markets that
materialize in public areas, at the side of the road and
under banyan trees in the wee small hours of the
morning. These markets are short-lived affairs, serving
the daily requirements of the local populace with fresh
fish, meat, vegetables, fruit and the all-important
offerings of delicately woven palm leaf and flowers. One
has to be early, as they begin at daybreak and by eight
or nine o’clock all that remains is a solitary sweeper
cleaning up the remains.
Sanur main market is the
pasar Sindhu, which also has a little art market
associated with it. Kuta also has a bustling market just
off the main road to the airport, and in behind this is
a popular night market where one can find excellent
seafood and satays. Right down at the beach, at the and
of jalan Bakungsari is a large art market, full to the
brim with attractive souvenirs, colorful T-shirts and a
range of local handicrafts.
A
Wealth of Handicrafts
If you are interested in
Bali’s handicrafts, a visit to the permanent trade
display exhibited at the Regional Trade Office of Bali
at Kamboja Street No. 8 Denpasar, is a must. This centre
offers information on all Balinese handicrafts, and has
a representative display well worth seeing.
The Department of
Industry also has a special project for the Guidance and
Development of Small Industries (BIPIK), with a display
room in Tohpati, east Denpasar. Here one can obtain
information on all the small home industries, including
textiles, woodcarving, metalworking, bamboo and
ceramics, scattered over the entire island of Bali.
There is also an Art
Cooperative, the Sanggraha Kriya Asta, in Tohpati.
Supervised by the Department of Industry, this
attractive centre has five buildings, each displaying a
major craft. Prices are fixed, and very reasonable.
There are weavings, garments, batik, carvings, silver,
and some paintings can be purchased here-between 8.00 am and 16.13 every day except Monday.
Gold
Jewellery
 Denpasar is the place to
buy gold. Many of the shops specializing in gold
jewellery can be found near the central mosque at the
intersection of Hasanuddin street and Sulawesi street.
Balinese traditionally keep much of their wealth in gold
jewellery, which is sold by weight, and these shops do
bustling trade with the local populace.
Antiques
 Antiques shops are also
common in the inner city. The Arts of Asia Gallery,
hidden at the rear of a shopping complex just off Jalan
Thamrin has perhaps the widest collection of items from
all over Asia. There are old Gringsing weavings from
Tenganan, ceramic, wayang kulit puppets, and some
priceless krisses with jewel studded golden handles. A
number of excellent collections of local antique
statues, wooden carved doors and beds, and pieces of old
furniture can be seen in the antique shops scattered
along Jalan Arjuna and Jalan Gatot Kaca, just of the
main street of Denpasar.
Gamelan
Instruments
For those who are
interested in Balinese musical instruments, but don’t
have time to visit the village foundries, pay a visit to
the showroom of UD. Gema Kencana in Tohpati, which
belongs to the smiths of Tiingan, Klungkung. The
island of Bali is one of the 27 provinces that make up
the republic of Indonesia, the third smallest in area
after Jakarta and Yogyakarta. The Governor of Bali, who
is elected by a plenary meeting of the House of
Representatives, is the head of local provincial
government, responsible to the minister of home affairs.
 The eight administrative
districts of Bali are the regencies of Badung, Gianyar,
Bangli, Klungkung, Karangasem, Tabanan, Jembrana and
Buleleng. Each Regency is administrated by a Bupati
(Regent), hence his know us a Kabupaten. The Bupati is
elected at a plenary meeting of the House of
Representatives at the Kabupaten level, whose members,
as well as those at the provincial level, are elected
during general elections.
Each Kabupaten is divided
into further Administrative Districts or Kecamatan, each
under the responsibility of a Camat liaison officer
appointed by the Bupati. These Kecamatan are further
divided into a number of Desa or Administrative
Villages, which in turn consist of a number of Banjar.
The Banjar is organization of a number of families based
on a communal system.
A system of spiritual and
family affiliation exists simultaneously and in harmony
with this administration system. This is known as the
Desa Adat or traditional village, which can be traced
back to the teachings of a Javanese Hindu priest who
visited Bali in the 11th century. Each Desa
Adat has an elected chairman, the Bendesa Adat, a man
who is responsible for all religious and traditional
affairs amongst those people who belong to the
particular trinity of temples that he is in charge of
have a large display of modern Balinese gamelan
instruments, the gong, gender wayang, and cengceng that
give Balinese percussion its unique sound.
Ceramic
and Pottery
 Ceramics were first
brought to Bali by the Chinese, almost a millennium ago,
and yet the art was introduced here much later, and in a
much simpler form.
Traditional pottery is unglazed and
fire-baked, very pure in form, and rather brittle, but
it serves a multitude of household purposes. Kapal, just
north of Denpasar, has a lot of small home industries
where pottery is thrown on foot-operated wheels.
They
produce decorative garden pots of all shapes and sizes,
drinking flasks, water urns, decorative roofing tiles,
vases, ashtrays and satay stands. One of the company
worth to be visited is Balibata Ceramic at Jalan Raya
Denpasar Tabanan.
The Bali Ceramics Institute, BPP.
Teknologi, is a centre for research and development for
ceramics and porcelain. This is situated on the Nusa Dua
Bypass, in between Sanur and Kuta; a picturesque
building built on reclaimed land on the seaward side of
the road. The institute has an exhibition of work
produced by its students as well as ceramics from Kapal
and Lombok. Some items are available for purchase at
very reasonable prices.
Sanur has also a large
pottery studio, UD. Jenggala, which produces more
refined pottery, fired at high temperatures, with a
limited range of very attractive glazes. They sell their
wares in an attractive little shop, the Sari Bumi, on
the main road at Batu Jimbar.
Weavings
Perhaps the most popular
cloth in Bali is the locally made Endek, ikat weaving
made on simple hand looms in which the weft is tied
(ikat) in prearranged patterns and dyed prior to
weaving. Up to five colours are obtained in a lengthy
process of retying and dyeing in a series of different
designs and colours.
 The most common thread is
the locally made rayon and cotton, or a combination of
both. In the most expensive materials pure silk is used.
Multiple hues are used from rich dark browns and blues
to pastel shades of yellow, orange, green, gray and red.
The resulting cloth is both colour fast and durable, and
makes attractive formal and casual wear.
Traditionally
it is used in religious and formal attire as a wrapped
around "kain" which hangs beautifully, falling
in folds according to the style favoured by the wearer.
On official occasions it is now fashionable attire for
both men and women, adapted to the latest designs of
shirts and evening gowns.
Small endek weaving factories
are scattered all over the Denpasar area, and it is
worth a visit to see the women at work on their simple
looms creating vivid patterns. Most of these home
industries have sale outlets through local dealers in
the markets and art shops, but some will make direct
sales, depending upon the stock they have accumulated.
One of Denpasar’s larger weaving factories is the
Pertenunan AAA in Jalan Veteran No. 9, just north of the
Bali Hotel. The material is available in 2 ½ meter
lengths for "kain", or can be purchased by the
meter. Here you can watch the entire process from the
preparation of skeins of thread, the tying and dyeing,
to the actual painstaking weaving of the cloth.
Another
attractive locally produced material is the songket, a
brocaded material that has a design of gold or silver
threads woven into the weft on a plain-colored
background. Generally worn on special ceremonial and
religious occasions, they are woven in 2 ½ meter
lengths to be used as "kain", as well as in
narrower, shorter pieces for men’s "saput",
the standard hip cloth that men wear over the sarong.
Scarves known as "selendang" are also popular
for the requisite temple costume, and "udeng",
triangular head cloths for men. This delicate material
needs special care, and should never be washed, as the
warp colors are not fast, a factor that guarantees
permanent market demand.
Other
Souvenir Items
Die-cut wooden fans are
made from ebony and sandalwood in many places around
Denpasar. They are available in delicately carved shapes
with "Bali" cutouts on the leaves, or can be
ordered with name cutouts for personalized gift items, a
24-hour wait being required for the finished product.
There are several workshops in Thamrin street, just
south of the corner with Gajah Mada street, as well as
in Sesetan, south Denpasar. These fans also make ideal
promotional gift items, and the larger producers will
prepare special logo cutout dies for large orders.
 Finely carved name
plaques, also ideal as personalized gifts, are made from
ebony or cheaper woods. The name is etched out in relief
and highlighted in gold, with a surrounding detail of
typical Balinese wood carving.
There are several places
in Sanur where these can be ordered at 24-hours notice,
and a very reasonable price. Just ask at your hotel or
travel agency where the nearest workshop can be found.
The art of umbrella
making in Bali has nothing much to do with rain! The
beautifully painted, fringed umbrellas one finds in Bali
are strictly decorative, used more in the ritual,
religious processions and ceremonies.
These exquisite
gold-painted, tasseled pieces are thus in continual
demand, and workshops can be found in six out of the
eight regions of Bali. In Denpasar there’s large
umbrella studio on Patimura street and most markets have
an entire section devoted to ceremonial paraphernalia
with brightly colored umbrellas of all sizes and colors,
some painted in bold design with gold "perada"
paint. Huge decorative fans painted in a similar style
are a recent offspring of this craft, attractive items
for interiors.
Batik
Cloth
Perhaps the most popular
Indonesian handicraft is Batik, the national cloth,
which originates and is generally produced in Java. This
is in fact the everyday wear of the local populace, who
skillfully wrap a simple piece of this material about
themselves in various styles, creating the most elegant
item of clothing for both men and women.
 Batik cloth is decorated
by hand in a dye resist process by applying designs in
wax and dyeing the material in a series of different colors,
a laborious process involving many steps. The finest
designs available are called batik tulis, which means
"written" batik, as the hot wax is applied
with a tiny pen known as a canting.
Then there is the
batik cap, which is made by reproducing repetitive
designs in wax with large copper stamps, a much faster
and therefore cheaper process. Both these categories are
usually waxed and dyed on both sides with the same
designs in order to promote uniform color intensity, a
prerequisite of high quality batik.
A cheaper cloth is
now made with imitation batik designs reproduced by
machine or silkscreen process. This cloth is sold by the
meter rather than in lengths, and is generally
considered second-grade, often passed off as genuine
batik.
There are a number of
reputable batik showrooms in Denpasar, some of which
have demonstrations set up to show the entire
batik-making process, with a wide range of styles,
lengths and ready-made items for sale.
Educational
Institutions
Badung is the major
centre of the island of Bali for tertiary education. The
State University of Udayana has faculties of law,
medicine, economy, architecture, literature, languages
and sciences as well as tourism, and there are a number
of private universities and Colleges that offer similar
professional courses. The Hindu Dharma Institute, just
north of Kesiman in east Denpasar, has an undergraduate
programme for degrees in religion and philosophy.
Courses in Hoteliery and
Tourism are provided by the Balai Pendidikan Lembaga
Perhotelan, the Institute of Hoteliery and Tourism at
Nusa Dua, which employs foreign language teachers and
has an exchange programme with other countries in the
ASEAN Region.
Graduates from this school, which offers
training up to the managerial level, are placed as
trainees in hotels throughout Indonesia to gain their
practical experience. Educational programmes are often
arranged for the public also, in correspondence with
government projects to develop a better understanding of
tourism in the private sector.
The arts are extremely
well catered for in Bali by two large institutions,
Akademi Seni Tari Indonesia (ASTI), the national dance
academy, and Konservatori Kerawitan (Kokar), the
Conservatory of the Performing Arts, which is a lower
level institution. ASTI was first established in 1967 by
the regional government of Bali, to train a new
generation of artist and scholars to help preserve,
study and develop the performing arts of Bali.
It became
a national institute in 1969, and since then has been
administered by the Directorate General of Higher
Education and Culture. The curriculum offers dance,
music and shadow puppetry. Undergraduate students can
attain a Sarjana Muda Bachelor of Arts degree, and there
is a graduate programme that awards a Master of Arts
degree, Seniman Seni Tari. A new curriculum is being
prepared for the future incorporation of the academy
into the Art Institution of Indonesia, (ISI) which will
result in the elevating of this school to the level of a
State University.
A key role in the annual
Bali Arts Festival is played by the students of ASTI,
who create extravaganza dance dramas each year that are
extremely popular with Balinese audiences. Performing
groups from the Academy are often called upon to give
presentations for visiting dignitaries. Strong ties with
institutions in other countries. The Ford Foundation and
The Asian Cultural Council among others, have led to a
number of opportunities for study courses in the United
States for M.A. and Ph.D. levels.
Foreign student
programmes are also available for dancers, musicians and
musicologists wishing to study Balinese choreography and
music, and in 1986 ASTI had a record number of 30
foreign students, some on scholarships and government
programmes, others pursuing private interests.
Visits to both STSI and
ASTI can be extremely worthwhile for music and dance
lovers, offering an opportunity to watch classes in
action and witness the discipline involved in perfecting
the many complicated aspects of Bali’s performing
arts.
Temple
Trips
Badung Regency is dotted
with historic temples, and for those interested in
archeology, traditional architecture or just the
discovery of atmospheric reminders of Bali’s rich
heritage, there are a number of fascinating spots to
visit.
Pura Sakenan
This sea temple is linked
to the visit of Dang Hyang Nirartha in the 16th
century, and has the specific pyramidal "candi"
shrines of that period. Accessible by perahu from Sanur,
Nusa Dua or Benoa, the temple is on the tiny island of
Serangan. It draws crowds of people during its yearly
festival on the day after Kuningan Beautiful seashells
are for sale here and there is a large enclosure where
turtles are raised for release into the sea to replace
the dwindling population of certain rare varieties. The
trade winds of July-August provide perfect kite flying
conditions and the children of Serangan fly huge kites,
sometimes tying them to their outrigger sailboats.
Pura Uluwatu
At the southernmost tip
of the Badung Regency the cliff top temple of Pura
Uluwatu soars majestically above the waves, with a sheer
drop of at least 100 metres on three sides. This most
sacred temple is said to have been the place chosen by
the saint Dang Hyang Nirartha to attain "Moksha"
or spiritual enlightenment. The architecture of the
temple is particularly striking, and a tribe of monkeys
in habits the surrounding cliff faces.
Pura Peti Tenget
Just past the Oberoi
Hotel, up the coast from Legian, is the temple Pura Peti
Tenget, also founded by Dang Hyang Nirartha, who is said
to have defeated an evil horde of demons in this spot.
Known as a particularly "tenget" or
spiritually powerful place, it is referred to in the
ancient "lontar" books as the place where the
Holy Scriptures from India (Vedas) were first landed in
Bali.
Pura Sada
This state temple of the
Old Kingdom of Mengwi, just 14 kilometers northwest of
Denpasar in the village of Kapal, was first established
under Majapahit rule. It has an unusual tall shrine or
"prasada" dedicated to the deified royal
ancestors, and an imposing main gateway with a massive
demon head carved in fine detail.
Pura Taman Ayun
Just a few kilometers
inland from Kapal can be found the official state temple
of the Mengwi Dynasty, Pura Taman Ayun. Established in
1634, it is a fine example of Balinese temple
architecture, with three ascending levels of spacious
courtyards containing rows of shrines and pavilions. The
entire temple complex is surrounded by a wide moat.
Pura Bukit Sari
In the midst of the
Sangeh Monkey Forest is can ancient temple, Pura Bukit
Sari, which dates back to the 17th century,
when it was a sanctuary for meditation. The stand of
towering nutmeg trees is home of a tribe to monkeys, and
its popularity as a tour destination is in great part
due to these inquisitive.
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