Gianyar, Regency

Tumpek Kuningan in Mas Village

In one rotation of the Balinese Calendar, there are tumpek days. Tumpek Landep is the first of these tumpek and is celebrated each Saturday Kliwon Wuku Landep, the second of 30 wukus. On this sacred day, we worship God in His manifestation as the God of Weapon or the God of all iron tools. Tumpek Wariga is the second tumpek, which falls on Saturday Kliwon Wuku Wariga, the seventh wuku, and worships God as the God of Plants. The third is Tumpek Kuningan, which is carried out each Saturday Kliwon Wuku Kuningan, the twelfth wuku, and is dedicated to the honoring of ancestors. The fourth is Tumpek Krulut, which falls on Saturday Kliwon Wuku Krulut, the seventeeth wuku. On this day artists are very busy, as this tumpek is closely related to the arts. Tumpek Uye is the fifth tumpek, which falls on Saturday Kliwon Wuku Uye, the twenty-second wuku, and worships God as the Gods of domestic animals. The last is Tumpek Wayang, which is celebrated on Saniscara Kliwon Wuku Wayang

In accordance with Lontar Sudarigama, Tumpek Kuningan is the day when the spirits of ancestors descend to the world for self-purification while enjoying the offerings that are dedicated to them by their relatives in this world. Tumpek Kuningan is better known as Kuningan Day as it is still connected to Galungan day. This ceremony is usually executed before sundown, because it is believed that time is the time when the ancestors’ spirits’ return to their realm. The Tumpek Kuningan ceremony takes place at each sanggah or merajan (family temple), at paibon temple (the temple of a certain clan), and khayangan tiga temple (a temple belonging to the village).
In Mas Village, Kuningan day is of greater value than in other villages in Bali. On that day, there will also be the ceremony at Taman Pule Temple. Taman Pule Temple is a shrine that was occupied by Dang Hyang Nirartha, a Resi (Priest) from Java. This temple is as the worshipping place of Bandesa Mas’s and Dang Hyang Nirartha’s generation. When the ceremony celebration takes place, all the Bandesa Mas and Dang Hyang Nirartha generations in Bali will come and pray at this historical temple meaning that the road from Sakah Village up to Ubud will be crowded.
At this time many peddlers come to sell their goods to the people of Mas village and its surroundings. The interesting point is that these peddlers gather in a spot that usually functions as the soccer field. For diminutive society in this area, it is just like a public festival, where they can go shopping with their family. Many of them will have been specially saving their money for this perfect time. Mothers, who come from Pengosekan Village, Nyuh Kuning Village, and other villages, willingly walk about 7 kilometers to get there. Most of them feel glad because they can buy anything they at an economical price. (BTN/031)

Sukawati Arts Market: Established by Peddlers

Sukawati Arts Market was founded by the initiative and enterprise of acung traders (peddlers/traveling merchant), in cooperation with the Regency Administration of Gianyar and apparatus of Sukawati Village. They agreed to build a place to sell goods that were usually sold door to doorway to the tourists who visit Bali. Because of the curb on acung traders who peddled in front of the arts shops, in 1983-1985 the Regency Administration of Gianyar built one unit building for the acung traders to sell their stuff. This building developed to become Sukawati Arts Market.
In the beginning there were few traders participating in the building due to insufficient information and promotion and it made the number of visitors decline as well. Then, after 3 years operation (1988) of the market, the visitors become festive. The visitors and consumers are not only art merchants who search for goods to sell in tourist areas (Kuta and Sanur), but also domestic and foreign tourists.
From the beginning, the handicrafts sold were in the form of traditional arts handicrafts such as statues, sculptures and paintings. These commodities developed continually, and now many various household handicrafts such as bed covers, Balinese batik cloth, and many plaited handicrafts can be easily found there. And all of these handicrafts are popular with the market visitors whether domestic or foreign.
The existence of Sukawati Arts Market also supplies an income for the Regency Administration of Gianyar and the society around the market. According to the Chief of Sukawati Arts Market, I Nengah Nama Artawa, the 770 stalls that are located inside the two-floor building are divided into 2 blocks (block A and block C) and there also some of them located outside the building. The stalls vary in width from 1m2 up to 1.2m2. The stalls’ traders pay Rp.500 per square meter per day (Rp. 21.000 per month) whether they trade or not. For merchants outside the market area, trading within a 1km radius of the market, pay Rp. 1.000 per day (Rp. 30.000 per month) if they are open and trade.
Artawa added that the cost for the traders inside the building is collected directly by the officer and distributed to the Regency Administration of Gianyar (Income Official) and Sukawati Village. Meanwhile, for the traders outside the building area, the contribution is divided giving 10% for the official who collects the contribution, 50% for the village society and 40% for the Administration of Gianyar Regency. ‘The total income of Sukawati Art Market in 2002 was Rp.225.100.000 while in 2003 it aims to make about Rp. 235.100.000, an increase of Rp.10 million from the previous year,’ he said.
Following the bomb blast, Iraq war and SARS virus, the number of visitors to the market has declined. ‘This situation has really caused suffering for the traders and market organizers, because our income has decreased,’ said Artawa while adding that he is still optimistic that the visitors will increase and be festive in the June to August period. ‘Because those months are the school holiday, students outside Bali will come for shopping.’ (BTN 037)