Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gusti Nyoman
Lempad
. Several fine
woodcarvings
from the 1930s to the 1950s are also
here, including the surreal earth-goddess
Dewi Pertiwi
by
Ida Bagus Nyana
,
the sinuous
Dewi
Sri
by I Ketut Djedeng and I Cokot's much-emulated
Garuda Eating Snake
.
In the
Second Pavilion
, to the left on the way up the garden, the Ida Bagus Made (1915-99)
Gallery showcases the artist's work alongside other postwar Balinese paintings, including
those in the naive expressionist
Young Artists
style that originated in nearby Penestanan in
the 1960s. Also in this pavilion you'll find paintings in the
Ubud style
, including
Balinese
Market
by Anak Agung Gede Sobrat, as well as works in the so-called
modern traditional
style, such as I Made Sukada's
Battle between Boma and Krishna
.
In the
Third Pavilion
, to the right on the way up the garden, the Wayang Gallery houses a
collection of
wayang-style
paintings as well as temporary exhibitions.
Pura Taman Saraswati
Jl Raya Ubud • Generally sunrise-sunset • Free
Commissioned in the 1950s by Cokorda Gede Agung Sukawati, the member of the
Ubud
royal family
who focused his energies on developing the arts,
Pura Taman Saraswati
is the
work of the prolific royal architect and stonecarver I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, who set the
temple complex within a delightful lotus-pond garden. It's dedicated to Saraswati, the god-
dess of learning, science and literature.
Access to the temple is via a lane next to
Café Lotus
: walk between the lotus ponds to
the red-brick
kori agung
(temple entrance). The straight route into the temple courtyard is
blocked by an unusual
aling-aling
(the wall device built into nearly every temple to disori-
ent evil spirits), which is in fact the back of a rotund statue of a
raksasa
(demon guardian).
Inside the
courtyard
the main lotus-throne
shrine
is covered with a riot of
paras
(volcanic
tuff) carvings, with the requisite cosmic turtle and
naga
(a snake/dragon deity) forming the
base, while the tower is a swirling mass of curlicues and floral motifs.
