Tabanan, Rainbow over Ricefields

The Beauty and Mystical Yeh Gangga Beach

Yeh Gangga Beach is another popular beach in the Tabanan regency located beside Tanah Lot, which is famed for its beauty and mystical nuance, attracting many investors’ attentions. This black-sand beach is about 40 km from Denpasar to the west.

There are several bungalows on the beach areas, Bali Wisata, Pondok Wisata Gangga, and Villa Waka. The bungalows are frequented not just by local people who visit the beach, but lately, many foreign tourists are coming to the area. Although not as many as would be seen in Kuta or Tanah Lot. The existence of Pura Dalem Yeh Gangga appears to give a mystical sense to Yeh Gangga Beach.
There are a few myths about this beach. People believe that bathing on the beach can cure skin diseases. However, bathing for this purpose should be combined with a ritual offering before starting. Offerings and incense are used together with pleading for bestowal to Dewa Baruna, the sea ruler of Hindu belief.
Anybody who bathes at this beach should obey the rules. It is an unwritten rule that has been spread within society from mouth to mouth. For example, people should bath at the west side of the temple, and must not reach the eastern part. You are not allowed to excrete, or take a pee at the rock in the middle of the sea, and you should always be polite.
“Belief has it that people who break the rules soon after, suffer some injury, like a broken leg, after falling down from a rock,” said a fisherman at the beach. He also explains that an outside visitor who breaks the rules could vanish for two days. When they return back, a snake may accompany them. But fortunately the snake is killed, and as a consequence, the person always feels disturbed. “Because of that, they return back to the beach to plead and apologize, according to custom,” said the fisherman seriously.
The fisherman also related another myth. Purportedly, the rock uniting the border beach farmland one night started to move into the ocean. Before it reached the ocean, a shepherd caught the rock. The rock became motionless, and soon after, the shepherd disappeared. The rock is believed to be eerie. An eternal liligundi plant once lived on the rock, but could neither die nor grow at all. Accordingly, on each Tumpek Kuningan (about each 210 days), the farmers around the beach area hold ceremonies on the rock.
Just like other beaches, Yeh Gangga Beach is not just a place to relax at, but also a site to execute ritual Hindu ceremonies in Bali. For example, nganyut, melasti, and other ceremonial events. Moreover, almost the entire population in Tabanan Regency carry out the nganyut ceremony at Yeh Gangga Beach.
The inhabitants around the beach are mostly fisherman. Their numbers are around 100, with many working on the land as farmers. The fishermen join together to take care of sailing and social importances. The Daily panorama of Yeh Gangga Beach is filled with the activities of fisherman. Local people who spend their weekends at the beach play soccer and perform martial arts. On certain days, there will be many ritual activities staged at the beach. Yeh Gangga Beach is not unlike other beaches in Bali, but its attraction is its’ beauty and mystical shade. (BTN/015)