Bali Travel Map

Alas Kedaton is a small forest with the width about 6-7ha located in the middle of the rice field in Kukuh countryside, Marga Sub district, Tabanan regency, west of Bali. The total size of this forest, temple and its facility is about 12 ha. In this forest, there is a temple called Alas Kedaton Temple and owns the natural environments that is looked green with fresh air and the calm, quite and holy atmosphere.

The monkeys in Alas Kedaton are very tame and free gallivanting in temple yard, so that the calm atmosphere is sometime disturbed by noisy voice of the monkeys, which are playing around and scrambling of food. The monkeys who dwell in this forest, there are jump up and down in temple wall, take a bath in moat or there is also hang out in few leaves representing impression view. The monkey like as custodian of temple, which are always ready to greet all visitor who are paying a visit to this place. Beside monkeys, in Kedaton forest also can be met the bats and some other animals. At least 24 types of grove plant have been identified in this forest.

Alas Kedaton Temple Festival

The ceremony in alas Kedaton temple is carried out every 210 days a year. It is on Anggarakasih Medangsia (Balinese Hindu Calendar) or on every Tuesday where on that time the society do the worship or pray to request the safety and prosperity. The unique in this ceremony is do not use the fire and do not hence Penjor and also finished before the sunset or before the night is come.

Tanah Lot Temple is located in the south of Tabanan Regency, precisely in countryside of Beraban, district of Kediri. It is about + 12 km apart from Tabanan town and + 25 km from Denpasar. The temple is built above land of coral reef with size more than 3 acre (wide: 202.830 m2 and circle: 2.509 m).

The word of “Tanah Lot” consisted of two words that are Tanah word means land (isle) and Lot or Lod word has meaning the sea. So Tanah Lot is meaning “The small island floating on the sea”. Tanah Lot is said to be the work of the 15th century priest Nirartha. The story goes that during his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island’s beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods. Tanah Lot temple was then built and has been an important part of Balinese mythological history for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. It was said that each of the sea temples was to be within eyesight of the next so that they formed a chain along the south-western coast.

As a favorite tourism object in Bali, Tanah Lot has been visited by one million of domestic and foreign tourist every year. Because Tanah Lot owns a magnificent view in particular at the sunset time where the sun slows down to the earth stomach. Every visitor will be marveled to see the beauty panorama of Tanah Lot. Its Coast is rock bound and its wave is big adds the beauty of Tanah Lot Temple which can be seen from various location. To reach the temple, visitors must walk through a carefully planned set of Balinese market-format souvenir shops which cover each side of the path down to the sea. On the mainland cliff tops, restaurants are built for the tourists to relax. Beside of Tanah Lot Temple there are other temples which can be seen on your visit to Tanah Lot like Batu Bolong Temple, Batumejan Temple and Enjung Galuh Temple.

At some nooks of coral reef around Tanah Lot Temple there are holy tame snake in black and white color and it is believed as the guard of the temple from the bad influence and evil spirits. It is also believed that this snake was created from Nirartha’s scarf when he established the island. Part of its stomach there no athwart skin, there’s only small skin, but this sea water snake very noxious but snakebite case are very den happened, because the sea water snake generally very passive. People cannot disturb these snakes because according to the belief, they belong to the God in the Temple.

The temple sits on a huge offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. In 1980 the temple’s rock face was starting to crumble and the area around and inside the temple started to become dangerous. The Japanese government then provided a loan to the Indonesia government of Rp. 800 billion to conserve the historic temple and other beach locations around the island of Bali. As a result, over one third of the rock which can be seen is artificial rock created under the Japanese upgrade works.

At the certain time, visitors might be lucky seeing a performance of the Kecak Dance. What makes the performance unique (besides the dramatic cliff top setting) is there is no Gamelan orchestra typical of other forms of Balinese dance. The only music is provided by a large chorus of 100-150 men and boys who sit bare-chected in a circle chanting a “chak-chak-chak” rhythm.

Bedugul is one of interest place in the regency of Tabanan. It is approximately located in 18 km North of Denpasar and 1400 meters above sea level. Bedugul is the name of place located in mountain area encircled by the cold temperature and natural environment with beautiful panorama of Beratan and Buyan Lake. Those lakes are the main water source for surrounding farmlands, rivers and springs on the plains below. The high altitude makes Bedugul a nice and cool place to be, and during heavy rainfall it is rather cold compared to the lowlands.

Beratan Lake is represent the shallow lake in Bali and it is located inside an old caldera with the height 1231m above sea level. This lake have wide 3,8 km2 and also its deepness is maximal 22 m. The water volume in this lake is about 0,049 km3. Tourist can access the Beratan Lake through dock which have been provided or desist around Ulun Danu Beratan Temple. In Beratan Lake the tourist can do various activities, such as riding the boat motorize to circle the lake, parasailing, canoeing with the traditional boat, banana boating, water skiing, and others. For you who has fishing hobby, here is the place. Tourists also can take a rest in lodging and eat in restaurant at the same time enjoy the magnificence view of the Ulun Danu Beratan Temple.

The name of Beratan Lake is inseparable with the Beratan Mount as Deity and Goddess as fertility source, prosperity to keep the prosperity in life and society life. In papyrus chronicle of the Mengwi, Ulun Danu Beratan Temple referred as the name of Parhyangan ri pinggiring danu Beratan (sanctum located in lakeside of Beratan Lake). Ulun come from Hulu word meaning head or power, what is in this case intended by Ulun Danu Beratan is power of Beratan Lake that is Danu Goddess.

Ulun Danu Beratan Temple is consisted of 4 temples complex that are:

• Lingga Petak Temple, what its function to worship the Siwa God.
• Penataran Pucak Mangu Temple, referred this gate as Parhyangan ri pinggiring rawa Beratan or Danu Beratan Temple, what is founded by I Gusti Agung Putu to worship the Hyang ing Parwata or Deity which is placed in Pucak Mangu that is Bhatara Hyang Danawa as according to papyrus of Padma Bhuwana and Usana Bali, because Mangu Mount located in north direction, hence its called the Bhatara Hyang Danawa is Wisnu God.
• Terate Bang Temple is to worship the Brahma God.
• Dalem Purwa Temple is to worship the Danu Goddess which is considered to be miraculous of the Bhtara Hyang Danawa that is Laksmi Goddess.

If you visit Beratan Lake, you earn also visit other places of interest in Bedugul nearby like a botanical garden. Kebun Raya Eka Karya represents the great garden in Bali. Opened in the year 1959, this garden own 154,5 ha located in the tropical rain forest at plateau of Bedugul Tabanan Bali. It owns the collection more than 1187 plant type with air temperature around this garden is cold, mean 18 Degree Celsius. In Raya Eka Karya Garden also there is 524 birch which still in its original forest, while the other farm which forest return, or at landscape lawns. Here there is also a lot of collection from America, South America, China, Japan, Australia, Africa and also Netherlands. Cyathea Garden, one of garden at this great garden own the collection the various type of Paku-pakuan which can be eaten as vegetable by Bali society, some also represent the decorative crop. The tree from this nail Cyathea is often exploited as growth media of various orchid types. Cactus collection in the great garden of Bedugul Bali there are 104 types. This cactus is obtained from Africa, America, Germany, Switzerland and also Indonesia. The crop for ceremony in this Great Garden of Bedugul there is 94 types representing collection from crop exploited for Balinese life ceremony, temple ceremony, devoting/offering and others. The great garden of Raya Eka Karya Bedugul also owns the collection of drug crop. Here there is collection of the medicine crop as much 84 types/species.

Tourist earn also enjoy the chirp of time bird conduct the trekking and also bird walk around this garden. Traditional Vegetable and Fruit Market in Candi Kuning countryside which can be reached only in a few minutes from here, it is also represent the place which is often visited at the same time pay a visit to Beratan Lake. Assorted fruits, vegetables and also mace can be bought here with the choice which measurable enough.