Jembrana, Bull Racing Center

Water Buffalo

Escaping the crowds of Denpasar, tourists may visit other regions such as Karangasem, Bangli or Jembrana. What’s the reason? One of main reasons is to see the real Bali for both culture and nature. Travel writers or visitors have written that Jembrana regency in west Bali is still virgin in tourism terms.

“My first drive in Bali was unforgettable; a long road through deep forest with monkeys playing on every side. At the approach of the taxi, they fled into the treetops, screaming and chirping. Now and then a deer dashed across the road ahead of us and sometimes pheasants were to be seen among the bushes. For miles there was no sign of habitation. The lonely western part of Bali, the driver told me, was rarely visited except by the Dutch when they came tiger hunting. Serenity and peace hung like a veil over the beautiful green country-side. Bali was even more lonely and satisfying that I had imagined” (K’tut Tantri in Revolt In Paradise, 1932).
Nowadays Jembrana has vast rice-field sadding to the large area of forest. Farmers in Jembrana prefer to have water buffalos as cattle that are very helpful in cultivating their rice fields and also for carrying their harvest to the village. In fact, the farmers also think that their cattle are their pets. They love hanging wooden bells around their buffalo’s necks.
In accordance with the Balinese calendar (Ketut Bangbang Gde Rawi), it will be a ceremony for cattle on Saturday, February 8, 2003. On the occasion (Tumpek Kandang), the buffalo are bathed in the river, fed better grass and other fodder, the horns are cleaned with coconut oil and wrapped with colorful cloth and last but not least, they are also adorned with Balinese cloth. They are free of their duty to cultivate rice-fields on this special day.
In the afternoon, it will be the ceremony for them that takes place in the back yard of the Balinese compound. The Balinese offerings and holy water are the main material for the holiday. After the ceremony, the meal is fed to the buffalos. The farmers will be very happy to invite those who enjoy such a cultural and religious event.
The buffalo are also used as racing buffalos locally known as “mekepung”. Negara is famous for its thrilling bull race, held after the rice has been harvested between July and October each year. A pair of bulls with painted horns and banners pull a small cart manned by a precariously balanced jockey on a two km. course (Bill Dalton- Indonesia Hand Book, 1991). (Lanus Sumatra)