Probably, there is no tourist who, planning a trip to Bali , at least did not think about visiting the village of Tenganan - an open-air museum. Here live the true masters of weaving, which, among other things, create the heringsin. Do you want to know what it is? Read on!
general information
Is located in the east of the island of Bali, among the forests, about 67 km from Denpasar . They are inhabiting the Bali-Aga village, a people who consider themselves "true residents of Bali", because their ancestors lived here long before the collapse of the Majapahit empire, and many migrants appeared there. A little more than a hundred families live in Tenganan.
Villagers live a rather closed way of life: according to the adat (traditional law), they do not have the right not only to leave the village for a long time, but even to spend the night outside of it. For the man, an exception is being made today (some of them are sent to work elsewhere), but women are forbidden to leave the wall, which is surrounded by a village.
The way of life of Tenganan residents has not changed for many centuries: it was formed even before the Majapahit dynasty came to power (and it happened in the 11th century). For example, the main street of the settlement is divided into various "public spaces", each of which is indicated by its color in the street:
- Bale Anung is the place of gathering of the "village council", which includes only married couples; by the way, they solve all the main issues, including those who have the right to live in the countryside and who do not, and who can be allowed to go abroad;
- Bale Petya - a place where only single men gather;
- Vantipan - all villagers can gather here.
Until 1965, the village was closed to tourists, and today it is one of the most popular tourist places in Bali.
Climate
The climate in Tenganan is tropical. The temperature varies little throughout the year - on average during the day it fluctuates around + 26 ° C, at night the air is only 1-3 ° C colder. Precipitation drops to about 1500 mm. The driest months are August and September (approximately 52 and 35 mm of precipitation, respectively), and the rainiest is January (about 268 mm).
sights
In the village there are several temples , including the Pura Puseh - a Hindu sanctuary of the period of the Dyavan. Another local landmark and folk art at the same time is lontar, specially processed palm leaves, on which symbols are cut with a knife, and then the texts are painted with soot.
Earlier, lontar was used to store sacred texts - it was on these scrolls from palm leaves that the famous "Upanishads" were written. Today, they make calendars, pictures in the traditional style, and this is a very popular souvenir .
And another thing to look at is a cabinet with statuettes that have been stored there since the time when Tenganan was a completely closed settlement, and the stranger's leg had not yet set foot on its streets.
Shopping
Residents of the village are engaged only in the production of textiles and its sale. Tenganan is the only place not only in Bali, but also in all of Indonesia , where the "double ikat" pattern is made, in which the warp and weft threads are painted separately. The pattern is very complex and very beautiful - no wonder many Indonesians prefer sarongs made of fabric created by Tenganan masters.
Even in the village you can buy painted eggs - the technique of writing here is somewhat different from the methods used in other places on the island. Sold here are masks and traditional daggers, crisps, and wicker baskets from the vine, the "warranty period" of use is 100 years. You can buy souvenirs in general, a lot of shops.
How to get to Tenganan?
You can get here from Denpasar in about 1 h. 20 min., Go by Jl. Prof. Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra. The last 4 km is a dirt road. Part of the path passes through the jungle.