Bali Tourist Information

Tabanan has its roots in the 14th century when Javanese invaders settled in the area. As they expanded their territory, they came into conflict with the Mengwi kingdom, founded during the mid 1600s with the fall of Gelgel and allied with Buleleng. In the 18th century Mengwi was the 2nd most powerful royal house after Klungkung.

Whose support it enjoyed. Internal conflict in the late 1700s weakened Mengwi and led to territorial losses to Tabanan which were retaken in the mid 1800s, By the late 1800s further conflict erupted and Klungkung with drew its support, opening the way for its destruction by Klungkung, Badung, Tabanan, Bangli and the Dutch. Tabanan got most of Mengwi, but rising Dutch interests in Bali and the refusal of Tabanan to give in led to its end in 1906 with the imprisonment and suicide of the ruler and his son. Krambitan village has 2 palaces, puppets style paintings, and the exciting tektekan exorcist dance dram with music from struck bamboo and giant wooden cowbells. Tista boasts the special lekoandir dance done by young girls. Panarukan has good carving, and ceramics are made in Pejaten. Upland Blayu is famous for its woven brocades. Extending from the mountains to the sea, Tabanan has a wide variety of natural beauty.

The Beratan Lake area has a huge botanical garden at Bedugul with produce farms at Candi Kuning. The Ulun Danu Temple to the lake goddess sits at the water’s edge, for the lake irrigates Tabanan’s ricefields. On Mount Batukaru is Pura Luhur, the royal ancestral temple. Below this is Jatiluwih with spectacular views of Bali. The Yeh Panas hot springs at Penatahan, and the beautiful Alas Kedaton temple. At the coast is the famous Tanah Lot temple on a rocky protrusion that becomes an island during high tide. Tabanan is a tidy town with a Museum Subak to North of the town a memorial in Marya Theater honors the dancer Mario. North of the town a memorial in Marga commemorates the slaughter of Balinese resistance fighter against the Dutch.

As yet Tabanan is little known on the tourist map, but actually it has a lot of fascinating in its vicinity which have yet to be developed in to their full potentials. Tabanan is tidy town with a museum Subak devoted to rice cultivation and the Gedung Marya Theater honors the famous dancers Mario.

Karangasem has a rich variety of older customs found in villages that resisted Javanese influences after the 14th century. The royal family, related to Gelgel, became independent and in the early 1700s challenged Klungkung. Internal strife led to exile and formation of a rival house in Lombok, which returned to defeat its own family on Bali and the taking of Buleleng. This real ended when Dutch subdued Buleleng in the mid 1800s, and Dutch assisted rebellion in Lombok ousted the royal family in the late 1800s. By recognizing Dutch superiority, Karangasem remained infect when South Bali was conquered in he early 1900s. After Mount Agung erupted in 1963 the capital changed names to Amlapura. The Puri Agung Kangingan palace features a blend of Balinese, Dutch, and Chinese architecture. To the south are the ruins of the Taman Ujung pleasure palace. A more intact one is up north at Tirtagangga with swimming pools fed cool springs and an excellent place to stay. Outside the town is the coastal tourist area of Candi Dasa, named after an old temple on the hillside, across the lagoon is a Gandhi meditation center. Snorkeling around a shipwreck is superb up north at Tulamben. Padangbai has the Silayukti sea temple and the ferry to Lombok. Tenganan is the only place in Indonesia where double ikat gringsing cloth is woven. Festivals here and in Dauh Tukad in June â?? July feature wooden ferris-wheels and ritual battles with thorny leaves. Nearby villages of Dauh Tukad, Bungaya, Asak, Timbrah, Perasi, Bugbug, Jasi, Ababi, Seraya, Sengkidu, Ngis, Bebandem and Padangkerta have colorful ritual with ceremonial dances for women and men, trance battles, and spectacular offerings. Beautiful brocades are woven in Sidemen. Winding mountain road through salak fruit farms and terraced hills lead to Besakih, Baliâ??s most important temple complex. Visitors may only see the huge temple from the outside but the view is gorgeous and the air refreshing. Mount Agung should only be climbed by experienced hikers with a guide. 

With Bali’s defeat in the 14 century, invading Javanese set up court in Samprangan and then at Gelgel in the 1 An internal revolt during the mid 1600s moved the capital to Klungkung. Strife over the next 2 centuries caused factions to set up rival courts throughout Bali, yet all recognize Klungkung as the highest royal authority In the early l9 as rulers of South Bali were subdued by the Dutch. Klungkung remained the last stronghold until 1908 a towering new monument commemorates the final battle. Most of the palace was destroyed except for the main gate and 2 pavilions, Kerta Gosa is famous for its painted ceiling of punishments in hell, animal tales, and an earthquake chart, and the Bale Kambang has paintings of Buddhist lore, folktales, and traditional, astrology. Artists from Kamasan still paint in this puppet-style, a school perpetuates this ancient art. A more recent craft turns to used artillery cases for metalwork. Near the coast is the old capital of Gelgel with the Pura Dasar temple The beaches at Jumpai are important for purification rites. A cross the water is Nusa Penida, former island of exile for Klungkung’s criminal and home to the great fang demon and the Dalem temple, both associated with black magic. The island and neighboring Lembongan and Ceningan have caves to explore and excellent snorkeling; seaweed is also farmed in shallow coastal beds. Klungkung’s market is great for textiles from the mountain villages and those further east. North of town is the peaceful Taman Sari temple, out west is Tiingan where musical instruments are made, and going east is a huge bridge spanning the wide Unda river. Colorful umbrellas made in Satria line the streets, and in nearby Paksa Bali village trance battles between deities occur. Off the main road, a huge sand and gravel quarry operates continuously with a blazing furnace. Along the coast is the fishing and salt-making village of Kusamba, where thousands of bats and a huge python live in the cave-temple of Goa Lawah. 

The cool, mountainous regency of Bangli was long fought over by rulers from neighboring kingdoms, for here lies lake Batur, the major source of irrigation water for most of South and East Bali and parts of the north. The ruling house emerged during the early years of the Klungkung kingdom during the 1700s to which it is related.In the mid 1800s Bangli sought Dutch protection from Klungkung, Karangasem and Buleleng, but by the end of the 19 century it was joining its former enemies against powerful Mengwi to the west Due to its early recognition of the Dutch Bangli was spared during the conquest of South Bali in the early 1900s. The steady ascent through Bangli passes through tidy villages and roads lined with groves of bamboo and coffee.In Bangli town the ancient Kehen temple is under a huge banyan tree. Celebrations feature ritual basis warrior dances with different weapons, and towering offerings fill the court yards every 3 years. Nearby is the Sasana Budaya Art Center with occasional art exhibitions and performances. The view beyond the town Bukit Demulih is breathtaking. An interesting village is Penglipuran, with its neatly terraced street.Higher up on Mount Batur at Penelokan are spectacular views of the active volcanic cone and peaceful lake below. In the village of Kintamani is Pura Batur, a huge complex of temples for the Like goddess, perched on the crater rim. Beyond the village in Penulisan is Tegeh Koripan temple, an ancient and mysterious temple often hidden by mist and reached by a long flight of steps. A winding road leads down into the crater to the soothing Toya Bungkah hot springs at the edge of lake Batur.Hiking up the volcano is possible. The Balai Seni Art Center has spacious gardens and a library. Across the lake is Trunyan where the dead are left exposed to the elements. Visitors may see this cemetery but not the hugs statue housed in a towering pagoda in the village. A rarely held festival features den ferriswheeels and masked dancers who whip by standers. 

The Gianyar regency was home to Bali’s oldest kingdoms, the Buddhist Warmadewa dynasty in Bedulu-Pejeng that ruled until the 14th century, and another center in Batuan. The conquering Javanese set up court in Samprangan, which later moved east to Gelgel and Klungkung. The area faded in history until the 18th century when the Klungkung family founded Sukawati, a short-lived dynasty that fell with the rising Gianyar kingdom. Rivals from Sukawati set up courts in Ketewel, Singapadu, Negara, Peliatan, Ubud and Tegallalang which led to decades of warfare.

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