Balinese
city, Indonesian nation
Nation-building
is also very much a Balinese concern. It is "Indonesia"
and "development" overtaking Bali. Denpasar is the
center from which the national language, Bahasa Indonesia, is
spreading to other parts of the island. One speaks Indonesian
here interspersed with Balinese words. Through Denpasar, Bali
is surrendering its most potent cultural force: its language.
Denpasar
is also the breeding ground for a revamped traditional culture.
It is here that the concepts of Balinese Hinduism are being
re-Indianized by the Parisada Hindu Dharma (Religious Council
of Hinduism), beyond the maze of Bali's old lontars and oral
traditions. The Supreme God, Widhi, here assumes precedence,
relegating the ancestors to minor functions. New prayers are
taught (Tri Sandhya) and new government priests officiate, called
from Denpasar to the villages for the rites of officialdom and
for inter-caste rituals. Reversing the old village-based trend,
Denpasar
is also home to the New Arts. New dances and music are created
and taught spreading into the villages from the city.
Last, but
not least, Denpasar is the home of a new breed of Balinese.
Born to th sounds of a new music, raised in a world o new wishes
and desires, taught in the word of a new national language and
culture, the young of Denpasar are Jakarta-looking rather' than
Bali-oriented. Their thoughts take for in a world of Kuta discos
and lavish Sanur villas. They are the avant-gardes of a new
Westernized Indonesia. Resilience, renew and decadence - Denpasar
will in any case be the stage for a new Bali.
Denpasar
sights
As a microcosm
both of modern Bali and modern Indonesia, Denpasar is easier
to understand than to see. Nevertheless, it awaits the intelligent
traveler who wants to learn about the future as well as the
past, and who wishes to take home more than just a few images.
So forget your lens for awhile. Forget the traditional village
Bali; have a look at the new urban Bali.
In the very
heart of Denpasar, just behind the main artery of the city,
Jalan Gajah Mada one can see many traditional compound with
their gates, shrines and pavilions, in among the multi-story
Chinese shop fronts Shrines dwarfed by parabolic TV antenna
Gods of the past versus gods of the future?
For a more
typical look at Denpasar's villages, a drive through the streets
of the "villages" of Kedaton, Sumerta, and particularly
Kesiman will do. Kesiman has some of the best examples of the
simple, yet attractive Badung brick-style. Alas, dying witness
to a passing grandeur, the Badung brick-style is disappearing,
replaced by the new baroque of the Gianyar-style, and the ugliness
of reinforced concrete.
Of the temples,
the most ancient is Pura Maospahit, right in the middle of the
city on the road to Tabanan. It dates back to the Javanization
of Bali in the 14th century. No less interesting, although more
recent, are the temples of the royal families: Pura Kesiman
with its beautiful split gate, Pura Satria and its lively bird
market, and Pura Nambang Badung near the princely compounds
of Pemecutan and Pemedilan.
A "modern"
temple is also worth a visit the Pura Jagatnatha, right on the
central square of the city next to the museum. Built as a "world"
(Yagat) temple, its tallest building is a big padmasana "lotus-throne"
shrine that symbolizes the world as the seat of ParamaSiwa,
the "Supreme Siwa." Modern Hindu intellectuals meet
there for full-moon religious readings - a barometer of Bali's
new monotheism.
Among the
palaces, the most typical is the Jero Kuta, which still has
all the functional structures of a traditional princely compound.
The Pemecutan Palace has been transformed into a hotel. The
Kesiman Palace, a Private mansion, houses the most elaborate
family temple.
For a look
at examples of traditional Balinese architecture, one might
visit the Bali Museum, right on Taman Puputan square. The good,
yet ill-presented collections are kept in buildings illustrative
of the Tabanan, Karangasern and Badung styles. More..
1 2 3
4
Check
out the accommodations
in this Area
