Central of Bali - Tourist Information

Ubud and Around

Gianyar is the second most densely populated district of Bali, with the majority of its 320,000 people relying upon tourism for their income. This regency is the center of arts. Most of the cultural activities related to tourism on the island - from painting and woodcarving to dance and music - are focused here, as is a broad range of agricultural activities.

Ubud

Some 25 km north of Denpasar, the village was originally an important source of medical herbs and plants. Ubud in fact was derived from the Balinese word of ‘ubad’ (means: medicine). But in this village, not only you can find ‘ubad’, but also every style of paintings. The settlement of foreign artists such as Walter Spies, since the 1920’s and 1930’s, transformed the village into flourishing center for the art. Artists from all parts of Bali were invited to settle here by the local prince. And Ubud palace and temples are now adorned by the work of Bali’s master artisans. There are so many ways to spend your days here: visiting painting galleries and artists’ studios, sipping drink in garden cafes, and enjoying long stroll trough the country side, or doing rafting and watching some traditional performance shows in the evening.

Batubulan

Ten km north of Denpasar, Batubulan is a village known for its ornate door-guardian statues, carved of soft paras volcanic tuff. In this village you can also see the typical Barong dance which performs every day at 9.30 - 10.30 AM, and the Kecak dance in the evening at 18.30- 19.30.

Celuk

This village is the center for silver and gold smiths. Almost every home in the village contains small scale production facilities fulfilling orders placed by large shops and exporters. Bracelets, rings, earrings and brooches, to name a few of a wide range of products produced here, have started to enter the export market.

Mas

This village has developed into a flourishing center for wood carving craft. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine what the village was like before dozens of tourist buses started to drop in everyday. Yet Mas actually played an important role in Balinese history during the 16th century, as it was the place where a great priest from Java, Danghyang Nirarta, had his hermitage. Based upon his instructions, many temples were built, especially after his moksa (holy death). It is said that the gods have bestowed talents on two of Mas houses: the skill of the shadow puppet master to Griya Dauh, and the skill of wood carving to Griya Danginan. At first, the wood carvers were all brahmanas who worked only on ritual or courtly projects. Their disciples learned the craft from them, and wood carving skills were transmitted from father to son. During the 1930 ’s, a new style of wood carving developed here. The motifs were more realistic, and were inspired by everyday scenes featuring humans and animals.

Goa Gajah

The famous elephant cave, which served as a hermitage. It received its name from the archeologist who discovered it in 1923, because there is a giant head with floppy ears above the entrance, which at first glance was thought to represent an elephant. The cave may date as far back as the second half of the 11th century. The grotto inside is T-shaped, containing 15 inches relief hewn out of the cave walls which may have served as stone benches to sleep on. For this reasons it is thought that the cave once served as a hermitage.

The Moon of Pejeng

The name of the temple is Pura Penataran Sasih, which sasih means moon and refers to the moon of Pejeng. A giant bronze cattle drum is kept high up in a shrine in the temple. According to a story, it is the ear jewel of Kebo Iwa (mythological giant), other says that it is the chariot wheel of the moon god which fell on a tree in Pejeng and has been kept in the temple ever since. At first it was bright and shining, however, a thief tried to steal it and was disturbed by the radiance of the wheel, so he urinated on the object. As a result, it lost its brightness and turned green. The thief was punished for this deed and died immediately. Cattle drum dated from the bronze age. But it is difficult to determine how old the Pejeng moon is.

Tirta Empul

A holy bathing place. Lies just north of Tampak Siring, a long well marked road. The sanctuary consists of an outer courtyard with a basin for public use and a central courtyard with adjacent, rectangular pools containing clear, transparent water. This holy spring is a major pilgrimage point.

Gunung Kawi

It is located on the banks of the river Pakerisan. There, a group of monuments consisting of candis is hewn on the rock hillside. Four candis are on one side of the river and the other side has 5 candis. These monuments originated from 11th century and were discovered in 1920. Gunung Kawi means mountain of poetry or mountain of antiquity. In this impressive historical site, the monuments function as royal memorials, representing the kings and queens of the Udayana dynasty. The tombs or candis are 7 meters high and each group of candi rests on a common basis. From left to right: king Udayana, his queen Gunapriya, his eldest son, his youngest son Anak Wungsu and Marakata. The eldest son, Erlangga, ruled Eastern Java while the youngest son Anak Wungsu ruled Bali after his father’s death. The candis on the other side were built for the four concubines of Anak Wungsu. At the right side of the candi or monuments, there is a cloister of monasteries for the Buddhist monks, consisting of several cells carved out of rock. One can reach this location, situated in a valley, by walking down about 200 steep steps from the car park. Legend tells that the giant Kebo Iwa carved out these monuments with his fingernails. Kebo Iwa was a giant of supernatural power. He was said to be the minister of the last king of Pejeng dynasty. In the past, this zone was the center of meditation and devotion.