Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CARVED IN STONE: FOR GODS, RAJAS AND TOURISTS
The traditional function of
stonecarved statues and reliefs
was to entice and entertain the
gods and to ward off undesirable spirits and evil forces. The
temples
in south Bali gener-
ally do this in a restrained way, being built mainly from red brick with just a few flourishes
of carved volcanic tuff or
paras
(though Batubulan's Pura Puseh is an exception), but the
northern temples, which are often built entirely from the easy-to-carve
paras
, are a riot of
vivacious curlicues. Outstanding northern examples include the Pura Dalem in Jagaraga,
Pura Beji and the Pura Dalem in Sangsit and, most famously, Pura Meduwe Karang at
Kubutambahan. In the east, Bangli's Pura Kehen is not to be missed.
Rajas and high-ranking nobles also commissioned fantastic carvings for their
palaces
(
puri
). Few outlasted the early twentieth-century battles with the Dutch, but one notable
survivor is the Puri Saren Agung in Ubud, the work of Bali's most skilful stonecarver,
I
Gusti Nyoman Lempad
.
These days,
hotels
are the modern
puri
, and many of the older,
grander ones were built in the Bali-baroque
puri-pura
style, with plenty of exuberant stone-
carved embellishments.
Gateways
normally feature the most elaborate carvings, in keep-
ing with their function as both a practical and symbolic demarcation between the outer and
the inner world, whether they're leading to the inner temple courtyard or giving access to
palace compounds or hotels.
Sculptures
of
raksasa
(Hindu demon-giants) often guard temple and hotel gates, and
most other freestanding stonecarvings destined for homes and gardens in Bali and abroad
still take their inspiration from traditional subjects, including Hindu deities and mytholo-
gical characters and creatures. The vast majority are made in the workshops of
Batubulan
,
which is the best place to buy small or large sculptures.
Pura Puseh
250m east off the main road, from a signed junction about 250m south of the Barong statue • No fixed opening
times • Free
As you'd expect in a town so renowned for stonecarving, the main temple,
Pura Puseh
, is
exuberantly decorated. Its unusual design features a five-tiered gateway tower inspired by
Indian religious architecture, as well as a number of Buddha images not normally associ-
ated with Bali's Hindu temples. The rest of the iconography, however, is characteristically
and flamboyantly Balinese: a grimacing Bhoma head overlooks the main gateway and, to his
right, the god Wisnu poses astride a bull; to the right of him, Siwa stands ankle-deep in skulls
and wears a string of them around his neck.
Bali Bird Park and Bali Reptile Park
Taman Burung, 5km northwest of Batubulan bemo terminal • Daily 9am-5.30pm • Joint ticket for both parks
$26, children $13 • 0361 299352,
bali-bird-park.com
• All bemos or buses between Batubulan and Ubud
or Gianyar can drop you at the Singapadu/Celuk intersection from where it's about 400m west
