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..
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Check out the accommodations
in this Area
More about the Badung
area -| Nusa
Dua | Kuta
Legian | Sanur
| Denpasar
