Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Alun-alun Puputan
Grassy
Alun-alun Puputan
, or Taman Puputan (Puputan Square), commemorates the fateful
events of September 20, 1906, when the Raja of Badung marched out of his palace gates,
followed by hundreds of his subjects, and faced the invading Dutch. Dressed entirely in holy
white, with each man, woman and child clasping a golden
kris
(dagger), the people of Badung
had psyched themselves up for a
puputan
, or
ritual fight
to the death. The final death toll
was reported to be somewhere between four hundred and two thousand. The palace itself, just
across Jalan Surapati on the north edge of the modern square, was razed and has since been
rebuilt as the official residence of Bali's governor. The huge bronze statue depicting figures
bearing sharpened bamboo staves and
kris
on the northern edge of the park is a memorial to
the citizens who died in the
puputan
; it's an image that you'll see across the island.
The square hosts a commemorative
fair
, with food stalls and
wayang kulit
shows, every
year on September 20.
The traffic island here is topped with a huge stone
statue of Catur Muka
, the four-faced,
eight-armed Hindu guardian of the cardinal points, indicating the exact location of the city
centre.
Bali Museum
Jl Mayor Wisnu • Sat-Thurs 8am-4pm, Fri 8.30am-12.30pm; closed public holidays • Rp10,000, children
Rp5000, camera Rp1000 • 0361 222680 • On the turquoise Kereneng-Ubung bemo route
The great repository of Balinese culture, the
Bali Museum
(Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali) is
Denpasar's top attraction and provides an excellent introduction to the island's culture, past
and present. Instigated, ironically, by the very Dutch colonial settlers who spelled the de-
mise of traditional lifestyles, the ethnography museum is housed in an appealing compound
divided into traditional courtyards, complete with
candi bentar
(split gates),
kulkul
(bell)
tower, shrines patterned by lichen and flower gardens. Incidentally, shrug off “guides” who
approach as you arrive - labels within are in English.
Much of the appeal of a visit is of going on a treasure-hunt through island culture. The
two-storey
Gedung Timur
at the back of the entrance courtyard features archeological finds
downstairs, including a massive second-century BC
stone sarcophagus
, and an upstairs gal-
lery given over to traditional
paintings and woodcarvings
. Through the traditional gateway
left off the entrance courtyard, the
Gedung Buleleng
holds fine Balinese
textiles
, includ-
ing the rare Kain
geringsing
, a complicated material created through an intricate dyeing and
weaving technique practised only by the villagers of
Tenganan
.
Built to resemble the long, low structure of an eighteenth-century Karangasem-style palace,
the
Gedung Karangasem
introduces Balinese
spiritual and ceremonial life
- the corner-
stone of an islander's day-to-day existence - and is the most interesting section of the mu-
seum since it details the religious ceremonies of Balinese Hinduism. The Balinese
calendars
