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Baby Statue at Batuan

If you happen to travel to Ubud village through Batuan village, you will surely pass the intersection of Belah Tanah hamlet, Batuan Kaler village, Sukawati subdistrict, Gianyar. Right in the midst of the intersection is established a statue of a giant baby. At the edges grows a large blackboard tree considered a sacred tree and commonly used to make sanctified barong mask.  According to Hindu community in Bali, the intersection is made sacred so that it is bordered with a fence. When people pass through the area, they will certainly pause to deliver an offering. Aside from being done by local community, such a practice is also carried out by other people wishing to travel to Gianyar, Bangli and Ubud.
Standing at this intersection will make you perceive different vibration. Its magical aura is strong. Based on stories of local people, bizarre incidents frequently happened at the location. Residents living around the baby statue believe that it will cry at mid-night on full moon. A crying baby is often heard by non-native residents.

Cheerfully Joking with Butterflies

The Bali Butterfly Park is one of the popular attractions in Tabanan County and the only one in this archipelago. This park also makes a breeding of butterflies for scientific purposes and education in the future.
As the name implies, most of the land is covered by paranet in order the butterflies do not fly out of their collections and disappear. Various species of butterflies in Indonesia can be found here. Some of the well known butterflies include: butterfly of paradise (Ornithoptera paradisea), the atlas moth (Attacus atlas), Sulawesi butterfly (Papilio gigon), Sumatra butterfly (Atrophaneura nox), Stibociana coressia, Lexias aegle, Axchaeoattacus staud, Butterfly of Mt. Batukaru (Actias maenas), Morphonestira, Amathu siidae sp, and so on.
In addition to butterfly, the park also has a collection of other animals such as scorpions, tarantulas and tiger beetles in a small building on the right side of the flower garden. Similarly, it also has a collection of strange grasshopper in the shape of leaves and twigs of wood brought in from outside Bali.

Swiss-Belhotel Rainforest, First Condotel in Bali

The Swiss-Belhotel Rainforest, a four-star hotel located in the tourist area of Kuta has been opened. The hotel under the management of Imesco Group was officially opened by the Head of Resources Development, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Prof. Dr. I Gede Pitana, Saturday (Apr 27). At the same time, it was also inaugurated the 100 Sunset Hotel 2 and Sunset Ballroom equally managed by the Imesco Group. Such inauguration was attended by Chairman of Swiss-Belhotel International, Gavin M. Faull and Senior Vice President for Operations and Development of Swiss-Belhotel International, Emmanuel Guillard.

Yoga of Sivananda Tradition at Puri Taman Sari

Puri Taman Sari does not only offer a comfortable and peaceful rural accommodation, but also a spiritual center. It has a venue for meditation, yoga and treatment. Supported by pristine environment and surrounded by verdant rice fields, it can exude a positive aura. Puri Taman Sari is located at Umabian village, Marga subdistrict, Tabanan County or around 18 km north of Tabanan. Jero Mangku Made Subur Harta said that Puri Taman Sari indeed provided spiritual tour. This place had the spiritual aura that could evoke a magical atmosphere of the Mengwi kingdom era in ancient times. Such yoga venue was considered haunted because it was located in the area of teledu nginyah seng kauh namely a tributary of three large rivers where in the belief of Balinese Hindu it was a haunted place inhabited by supernatural beings.

At the location also lies a Dalem Tungkub Temple namely a special temple for those favoring to get involved in spirituality and it always exudes positive aura. Many tourists choose the location to practice yoga, meditation or other spiritual activities. Afterward, they are predicted by name, hands, chakra and aura to read their problems. Then, they are invited to take purificatory rite to cleanse the negative aura and do pilgrimage to some temples. The yoga activity offered is of the Sivananda tradition. Basically, its movements are almost the same as other tradition, but the emphasis is given on the breath, power and flexibility of the body. “This yoga applies triangle breath. There is also a pastrika pranayama or fast breathing and kapalabhati or abdominal breathing,” he said.

Sarad and Sate Tunggeh symbolize Basic Dualism

If you pay a visit to temple or are conducting spiritual tour, do not be surprised if you find a Balinese traditional cake (jaja) assembled with a unique decoration. The cake of various shapes, sizes and colors arranged nicely describes the nature of life in the world. It is not a presentation of pure art, but a ritual means for Hindu community in Bali called sarad.

I Kadek Satria, a lecturer at the Faculty of Hinduism and Culture in the Hindu University of Indonesia (Unhi), said that sarad was ritual paraphernalia in the higher level symbolizing the rwa bhineda or basic dualism. It was made from flour batter in such a way so that the ingredients symbolizing the nature. The use of flour as the smallest part of rice had the meaning as seriousness of devotion.

The flour batter was kneaded and then shaped in accordance with the content of this world. There were celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars. Similarly, there were also human being with all activities, plants like flowering plants, large trees, medicinal trees and other small trees as well as two-legged animal, one-leg animal and animals having more legs. It was also described the heavenly life like the angles.

According to Kadek Satria, not all Hindu ceremonies in Bali used the sarad cake. The cake made like kayonan (mountain) was specially made for a grandiose ritual like padudusan agung used to purify nature. “It resembles kayonan as an aesthetic element symbolizing tattva (philosophy). Kayon is the beginning of story and literature,” he said.

Ngerebong, a Tradition at Kesiman Customary Village

Ngerebong has become a tradition for the Kesiman customary village, Denpasar. A unique ritual called ngurek (stabbing kris dagger in the chest) is performed on the piodalan or anniversary of the Pangerebongan Temple falling every 210 days on Redite Pon Medangsia, Sunday (Apr 14) or eight days after Kuningan celebration.
In the ceremony, the customary villagers of Kesiman consisting of 33 hamlets became patih (intermediary of deities) for devotional works. They put into trance and then take kris dagger to be stabbed in his chest. It is really horrible when the dagger, sharp and sacred objects, is stabbed in human chest. Ritual as a symbol of gratitude expression is carried out through a worship to sanctified effigies (Rangda, Ratu Ayu and Barong) in the temples of Kesiman customary village. After paying homage, some people carry the sanctified effigies.

The ritual is commenced by mapeed or parade procession to the temple where ngerebong is carried out and all the villagers put on customary attires. Each temple at Kesiman customary village takes out the sanctified effigies. There are also sanctified effigies from outside Kesiman that are engaged in the procession such as those from Pemogan, Singgi-Sanur, Suci Hamlet, Bali Beach, Sawangan-Bukit, Ubung, and some others.
Another unique tradition in this Pangerebongan ritual is cockfight performed by a group of people. When the cockfight taking place as a part of the ceremony, it looks like dominating the stabbing tradition. Meanwhile, the ngerebong itself is done by surrounding counter-clockwise the wantilan hall where people are holding cockfight. Anak Agung Pemecutan from Dajan Tangluk hamlet, one of the mediums (pedasaran) at Kesiman said the cockfight would cause the rooster to injure and bleed. Such blood sprinkle was then used as sacrifice locally known as tabuh rah as a series in the animal sacrifice ritual or mecaru.

Plastic Waste Clean Up at Besakih Temple Area

Hundreds of hoteliers with other community components such as military, banking, school, mass media and other circles performed cleanup action to collect plastic waste in the Besakih Temple, Karangasem County, Friday (Mar 22). This concern was very much in line with the interests of Bali tourism in creating the clean Bali being free from waste especially plastic waste. Such activity was carried out in relation to implementation of the Ida Bhatara Turun Kabeh ritual held in the mother temple of Bali. With great joy, people picked up the plastic waste scattered around on the curb, gutter and even in the valleys on both sides. This could prove and become a learning process for the community about healthy living, sanitation as well as awareness of all the parties that plastic wastes were hazardous to health and the environment.

Ida Bhatara Turun Kabeh Ritual. Implement Three Divine Messages

HINDU devotees in Bali and from outside Bali flocked to Besakih Temple, Karangasem, to say prayers on the Ida Batara Turun Kabeh ritual, Tuesday (Mar 26). The ritual was centered in the Penataran Agung Besakih and officiated over by 10 high priests. It lasted for 21 days and will be closed on Tuesday, April 16.
Chairman of the Executive Board of the Central Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI), I Ketut Wiana, said the Ida Batara Turun Kabeh ritual only existed in Besakih Temple. It was organized once a year and fell on full moon of the tenth month in Balinese calendar (Tuesday, Mar 26). After performing the pinnacle of ritual, it was resumed with implementation of mapedanan in Paselang pavilion usually carried out around 03:00 p.m. Wiana added at the ritual every manifestation of God gathered behind the Padma Tiga shrines and then came down to Penataran Agung to give graces to their devotees. At that time, he continued, God gave forth His rays to all devotees. Truly devout people would open their heart to receive His graces.

Enjoy Jegog Music at Pinge Tourism Village

ON hearing the Jegog gamelan, people will surely remember about Jembrana, a county located in the western part of Bali. It happens because Jegog, a traditional bamboo gamelan instrument, was born and grows well in the county. Now, similar traditional gamelan can also be found in Tabanan, precisely at Pinge, a tourism village frequently visited by tourists.
A set of such gamelan instrument has been accomplished and even it had been used to make its first performance on Paing Galungan, Friday (Mar 29). In the trials, the village specifically brought in the Karya Praja Budaya jegog troupe from Pendem hamlet, Poh Santen, Jembrana. The music compositions included the Tabuh Pengungkab Sabda, Cangak Merengang, Galang Kangin and accompaniment of Joged-jogedan.
Although the stage looked so simple, namely at people’s courtyard, the performance was thronged by numerous spectators. They were from local village and neighboring village. Foreign tourists staying at the village did not miss the art attractions. Even, a foreign couple from France continued to immortalize the composition and performance.  

Distinction of Tabuh Rah and Tajen

HINDU community in Bali has a ritual called tabuh rah. This ritual is the sprinkling of chicken blood in a series of bhuta yajña ritual or sacrifice to the bhuta. The tabuh rah is implemented in the form of ‘cockfighting’ that has become a tradition to the community on the Island of the Gods.
The type of chicken used is rooster (for cockfighting). This fight is held for three parties containing a magical meaning as a symbol of the beginning, middle and end. The sacrificial ritual uses blood as it is considered to have a magical and spiritual force. In essence, the bloodshed is intended for Bhuta Bhucari, Kala Bhucari and Durga Bhucari.
Kala means energy as well as time. Bhuta kala means the energy that arises. Philosophically, bhuta kala is a negative force arising due to lack of harmony between macrocosm (bhuana agung) and the microcosm (bhuana alit). By human, this disharmony is then personified as spirits or supernatural life that can be a nuisance to humans.