With a
population over 100,000, Bali's capi- Hindu concepts. It replaced an old street tal is the
largest city in the island. It is also clock. Since the Denpasar's two main shopping
streets
latel960sand thetourist boom, Denpasarhas
come together at the Guru statue. Jalan Gagrown quickly into a bustling little city
in jah Mada is biock-full with general stores, art which narrow streets, many of
them one-way, shops, restaurants, banks, and a couple of ice can barely handle the crush
of traffic. In the juice stalls. The colorful local market is also center of town is a
large open square, called nearby. Jalan Veteran and the little street bePuputan
Square after the suicidal battle hind the Bali Hotel are good places to buy between the rajas of
Badung and the Dutch handicrafts. Many shops close between 1 p.m. militia in 1 906. On one
side stands the Muse- and 5 p.m., but thereafter stay open until 8 p.rn. um Bali and the
Pura Jagatnatha, a state The Hotel Bali, dating from Dutch times, is on temple.
Across the square is the national Jalan Veteran. The Hotel Denpasar, the other
military complex. On the third side are the large hotel in the capital proper, is on
Jalan.
The great statue with four faces and eight
scattered throughout the city. arr.ns at Denpasar's main intersection (at the northwest
corne'r of Puputan Square) repre- Denpasar means "north of the market". sents
the god Guru manifesting himself as the True to its name, every morning industrious lords
of the four directions. It was erected in saleswomen open up their stalls in the
market1972 as a secular monument to commemorate place, Pasar Badung,
with assortments of the puputan, though
its imagery symbolizes spices, yarns, weaving, hardware, baskets and mats, and fruit and
vegetables and meat-every weapons; and a fine collection of contemfood and commodity
imaginable. Each mer- porary Balinese painting. chant presents a small offering to Ratu
Mas |
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goddess of prosperity, whose Kokar is the everyday name for the Konshrine is on the
premises. In the evening, servatori Kerawitan, the Conservatory of the Jalan Kartini, just
off Jalan Gajah Mada, Performing Arts. There one can watch dancers changes into a string
of gaslights, illuminating practicing many different dances with a variety food and fruit
stands, shoe and batik displays of gamelan orchestras. The school was built in of
the night market (pasar malam). 1 960 and teaches Balinese and Javanese |
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capital has enough places of interest to dance and music besides more general submake a
trip in itself, especially if you are jects.Althoughthestudentsareintheirteens,a staying
nearby. Right on the Kuta turn-off dance instructor will assure you that there is no
stands Puri Pemecutan, a rebuilding in 1907 definite age for a good dancer; dancing
years of what remained of a much larger palace are between the ages of six and eighty. The
which wasdestroyed duringthepuputancon- Academyof Indonesian Dance(Asti),a higher
flict. The buildings and ground plan follow, level institution, is on the same premises.
the design of royal residences of the old'i, Every full Roon, citizens of Denpasar may
Badung kingdom. Shaded pavilions house pay homage at Pura Jagatnatha, a newly lontar
leaf manuscripts containing works of built temple next to the Museum, dedicated
classical literature; a full gamelan orchestra to Sangpyang Wid ' i ', the Supreme
God. The called gong mas, or "the golden orchestra", tall padmasana, constructed
solely of white that survives from the original puri,. traditional coral,
symbolizes universal order. The turtle
Bedawangnala and two naga serpents
represent the foundation of the world; the towering throne signifies the receding heavens.
This design, so prevalent in the island, also relates to the Hindu myth of the churning of
the sea of milk, when the gods and the demons stirred the cosmic ocean to create the
nectar of immortality.
The Museum Bali, built by the Dutch
government in 1932, presents an excellent survey of Balinese art from prehistoric times to
the early 20th century. Items range from Neolithic stone implements, Metal Age sarcophagi,
and Buddhist and Hindu bronzes through a fine variety of modern woodcarvings and
paintings, to ceremonial masks and ukurs-human 4tfigies made from silver and
Chinese coins' used in death rituals. The architecture of the museum combines the two
principal edifices in Bali: the temple and the palace. The split gate, the outer"and
inner courtyards and kulkul ("alarm drum")
tower
are characteristic of the temple. Opposite the kulkul stands an elevated pavilion
once used in palaces as a lookout for a prince viewing his lands. The main building with
its wide, pillared veranda resembles the Karangasem palaces of East Bali, where the porch
once served ministers and authorities who had an audience with the raja. The
windowless building on the right reflects the Tabanan palace style of West Bali, while the
brick building on the left belongs to the northern palace style of Singaraja, making the
museum a true monument to Bali.
A permanent exhibition of modern Balinese painting
and wood carving may be seen at the Art Center at Abiankapas on the edge of the
city. This grandiose complex includes a large dance arena and a sales room. Exhibitions,
dances, and recitations of classical literature are organized by the center. A calendar of
events is available. Visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday.
About Denpasar
city, capital of Bali propinsi (province), south central Bali, Indonesia,
40 miles (70 km) south of Singaraja. The largest city on the island of Bali, it is also
the capital of the Badung kabupaten (regency). Denpasar was the site of a suicidal
battle of the rajas of Badung against the Dutch Militia in 1906. A large open square in
the centre of the city, named Puputan Square, commemorates the event. The population is
mostly Balinese who speak a dialect of Indonesian written in Pallava script and practice a
form of Islam strongly influenced by Hindu customs. In addition, there are Arab and
Indian merchants who deal mainly in textiles; Chinese operate most local businesses, and
there are some Christians. The city's mechanized industries include food processing,
papermaking and printing, and the manufacture and repair of machinery. Handicrafts include
sandstone carving, weaving, coconut and bone carving, plaiting, basket weaving, and the
production of coir and of gold and silver jewelry.
A network of
roads links Denpasar with Singaraja and other cities on the island. Denpasar also has an
international airport. A branch of the National Archaeological Research Centre; the Bali
Museum, built by the Dutch government in 1932 and containing specimens of Balinese art
from prehistoric times to the early 20th century; and Universitas Udayana (founded 1962)
are located at Denpasar. Sites of interest include the Puri (temple) Pemecutan, St. Joseph
Church, Meredith Memorial Library, Pasar (market) Dadung, Kokar (Conservatory of
Performing Arts), Academy of Indonesian Dances, and Abiankohas Art Centre. Pop. (1980)
261,263. |
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