Besakih Mother Temple and Kintamani Volcano

We’ll meet at 8 a.m. at our hotel for the tour with first stop at Kertha Gosa. The Kertha Gosa Pavilion is an example of Balinese architecture located on the island of Bali, in city Klungkung, Indonesia. The Kertha Gosa Pavilion at Klungkung Palace was built in the early 18th century by Dewa Agung Gusti Sideman. Kertha Gosa means – “the place where the king meets with his ministries to discuss questions of justice”.

The first function of the pavilion was for the court of law in 1945. Kertha Gosa was repainted in the 1920s and again in the 1960s. The Pavilion has a section of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, called Bhima Swarga, depicted around the ceiling.
Use of iconography
The ceiling of Kertha Gosa is painted in a traditional Balinese style that resembles wayang (puppet theatre). Paintings in the wayang style are related closely to shadow theatre art and have been faithfully preserved to reflect Bali’s Hindu-Javanese heritage in its traditional iconography and content. Iconography was to represent living things through pictures and shadows because it was prohibited to represent any living entity.

Types of characters
All of the characters in the story of Bhima Swarga have a symbolic meaning relating to color and whether the characters are kasar or halus. Kasar characters, like the demons, are rough and coarse. They have big eyes, noses, and mouths. The hand positioning of the kasar characters is upward.

Halus characters, in contrast, are refined and flowing, recognized by delicate hands and fingers. They have small eyes, noses, mouths with thin lips and uniform teeth, and almost no facial hair. Their heads and faces are pointed downward. Bhima, his siblings, and Kunti are all halus characters. One of Bhima’s most important features, assigned only to him, is his right thumb which ends in a long curved nail as his weapon; this is a magical implication.

The angle of the head and body attitude of the characters are also important. For example, human heads and bodies are always in a straight-on position, but kasal characters are represented with eyes and noses at an angle.

Bukit Jambul is one famous tourist attraction located on the east part of Bali, precisely in Pesaban Village, Rendang district, Karangasem Regency. It would approximately take 1.5 t0 2 hours to reach this famous highland from Denpaar City. Bukit Jambul is derived from 2 words, Bukit means hill and Jambul means crest, hence, the meaning of Bukit Jambul is crest of a hill. It is situated in a plateau area which offers great scenery of hills and rice terrace combined with green coconut trees unfolding the sea also the roads wining underneath the hills. The hill is located 500 meters above sea level, the atmosphere in this area is very cool. Many visitors come to Bukit Jambul when having a tour to Karangasem, it is such a great place to relax and see beautiful natural panorama.
A Story tells that this hill Buki-Jambulwas first discovered by the Dutch who came to Pesaban Village. It was named Bukit Jambul because the shape of the hill looked like a hair’s crest. The crest shape is created by the Bayan trees that are growing on the hill. These group of Bayan trees makes the hill looks like a crest from the distance. On top of the hill, there is an old Hindu Temple called the Pucak Sari Temple. The temple is visited regularly by the locals especially on Hindu Holidays, locals come and to pray to thank God for all the prosperity that has been given to them.

Bukit Jambul is becIndonesia_Bali_BukitJambul_RiceTerracesoming a favorite nature tourist destination, it is an interesting place to visit in Karangasem Regency. Restaurants which offer both Indonesian and international food are provided around the hill area, visitors can have a meal while viewing the scenic panorama of hills and rice terrace.

Besakih Temple is a pura or Temple complex in the village of Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung in eastern Bali, Indonesia. It is the most important, largest, and holiest temple of Balinese Hinduism,and one of a series of Balinese temples. Perched nearly 1000 meters up the side of Gunung Agung, it is an extensive complex of 23 separate but related temples with the largest and most important being Pura Penataran Agung. The temple is built on six levels, terraced up the slope. The entrance is marked by a candi bentar (split gateway), and beyond it, the Kori Agung is the gateway to the second courtyard.
History
A puja ceremony at the Besakih Temple.
The precise origins of the temple are unclear but its importance as a holy site almost certainly dates from prehistoric times. The stone bases of Pura Penataran Agung and several other temples resemble megalithic stepped pyramids, which date back at least 2,000 years.
It was certainly used as a Hindu place of worship from 1284 when the first Javanese conquerors settled in Bali. By the 15th century, Besakih had become a state temple of the powerful Gelgel dynasty.
The temple is on the slopes of Mount Agung, the principal volcano of Bali.
Pura Besakih is a complex made up of twenty-three temples that sit on parallel ridges. It has stepped terraces and flights of stairs that ascend to several courtyards and brick gateways that lead up to the main spire or Meru structure, which is called Pura Penataran Agung. All this is aligned along a single axis and designed to lead the spiritual person upward and closer to the mountain which is considered sacred.

The main sanctuary of the complex is the Pura Penataran Agung. The symbolic center of the main sanctuary is the lotus throne, or padmasana, which is therefore the ritual focus of the entire complex. It dates to around the seventeenth century.

The area of north-eastern Bali at the Mount Batur caldera, and which encompasses Penelokan, Toya Bungkah, Batur and Kintamani villages, is known widely as just Kintamani. Kintamani, Batur and Penelokan villages sit on the rim of the huge Batur caldera about 1,500m above sea level, and offer dramatic views of the active volcano Mount Batur and serene Lake Batur. Toyo Bungkah village is down at the lake edge. As well as the lake and the volcano, Kintamani is home to Pura Ulun Danu Batur, one of Bali’s key nine directional temples.

Climate
You are high in the mountains of Bali here and the temperature is usually about 15 degrees cooler than down on the coast, and even more so at night. That, coupled with the often cloudy and drizzly weather, makes a sweater or jacket advisable in the day time and vital after sunset.The main attraction for visitors is located around Lake Batur where Penelokan village provides spectacular views of this crater lake and Mount Batur, set in a vast volcanic caldera. Photo opportunities abound, but try to be there as early in the morning as you can manage before the cloud inevitably starts to gather.

Further northwest along the rim of the caldera is Pura Ulun Danau Batur, one of the most important temples in Bali. Entry is by donation here – Rp 10,000 is about right. The temple was rebuilt up on the caldera ridge in 1926 after an eruption of Mount Batur destroyed the old one down in the crater. There are a large number of shrines, but most visitors are drawn to the huge eleven roofed meru in the inner courtyard. This is dedicated to the goddess of the lake, Ida Batara Dewi Ulan Danau who is regarded as the controlling deity of the whole water and irrigation system of Bali. A virgin priestess is resident at the temple to represent the goddess, and she is served by 24 priests who are chosen as young boys and then keep the role for their lifetime. This is a strong example of just how importantly water and irrigation matters are regarded in traditional Balinese culture.

Bali is almost synonymous with pearly beaches and jungle-covered volcanic mountains.
But that’s not all, the island is also packed to the brim with sprawling landscapes punctuated by layers of rice paddies that offer visual treats that captivate even the most apathetic traveler.
Nestled in the verdant valleys of Bali, Tegalalang Rice Terrace is one of the most popular attractions in Ubud thanks to its photogenic ambiance.
Although the iconic rice paddies are a top tourist destination, Tegalalang gives a glimpse into the traditional Balinese irrigation system that support the livelihood of the locals to this very day.

Tegalalang rice terrace history
Tegalalang is known as one of the most popular rice fields in Ubud and deeply entrenched around a popular Balinese traditional mode of irrigation named Subak, dating back to the 9th century.
The system embodies the Tri Hita Karana philosophy on life and like many other Bali’s rice terraces, Tegalalang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 Bali Coffee Plantation is a perfect stop to add on a day trip to the Tegalalang Rice Terraces.  We will starts with a walk through a beautiful garden, containing trees, shrubs and herbs that feature Bali’s most popular indigenous fruits, vegetables and spices. it always love seeing how produce and spices are grown, so this is very fun for everyone. Once you pass through the garden, you are greeted by a large cage structure housing the famous Asian palm civet, whose intestines are responsible for creating the popular Luwak Coffee. The Luwak Coffee is made from coffee beans that, when in their original cherry form, fall from the tree and are eaten and partially digested by the civet. Coffee growers then harvest these cherries to make the Luwak coffee.

Before you head to the bathroom to vomit, its comforting to know that the coffee cherry naturally has two outer layers. When digested by the civet, only the outer layer is metabolized by the process. A second, inner layer remains that protects the actual coffee bean from said poo. Coffee growers are able to wash the beans and then remove the outer layer prior to roasting.At a small shed, the Satria team explains this process, complete with some authentic civet poop in a display case. A very old woman asa staff will be demonstrating the roasting process they use, which is achieved via a roasting pan over an open flame (almost like a sauté of the beans). Then, they put the roasted beans into an enormous mortar and pestle to grind them for serving.

Ubud Traditional Art Market, or Pasar Seni Ubud, is the most popular art market in Bali, and it’s even appeared in the movie Eat, Pray, Love! the Ubud Art Market will tell you everything you need to know.Ubud Art Market is in the centre of Ubud, which is in Central Bali. It’s a short walk from most hotels, resorts, restaurants and attractions in Ubud. The Ubud Market offers a ton of locally made and sourced products. You can find beautiful silk scarves, woven baskets, stylish hats, amazing kites, handmade woven bags, Balinese-style paintings, Balinese handicrafts, Moroccan-style oil lamps, beach clothes and much more. next to Ubud market there is A famous Ubud Palace or known as Puri Saren Ageng Ubud. The palace was the official residence of the royal family of Ubud. It was on his travels that Rsi Markandya received a divine revelation that in Bali he was to bury five precious metals on a mountain slope where the mother temple of Besakih now stands today. Along with a group of followers, Rsi Markandya was magnetically attracted to a destination located in the central foothills of the island that radiated light and energy. This place was Campuhan in Ubud at a junction in the Wos River and it was here that he felt compelled to build a temple by the name of Pura Gunung Lebah.