SEMPIDI, LUKLUK and KAPAL.

These villages west of Denpasar, are noted for decorative temple sculpture. Carvings of domestic scenes and mythological episodes are mischievously exaggerated and painted in bright colors, reminiscent of the exuberant North Balinese style of sculpture. The aphorism the more you look, the more you see-certainly rings true 'here, especially at the Pura Dalem of Lukluk and the three desa temples of Sempidi. The most important temple in this area is Pura Sada in Kapal, an ancestral sanctuary honoring the deified spirit of Ratu Sakti Jayengrat whose identification remains uncertain. (According to one story he was a noble from Majapahit who came to Bali by sea -kapal means "ship"-his vessel being wrecked on a reef where the village now stands.) The temple, the, original foundation of which may be as old as the 12 th century, was rebuilt during Majapahit times by one of the early kings of Mengwi, perhaps in the 16 th century. The oldest of the Mengwi state shrines, predating Pura Taman Ayun, Pura Sada was destroyed in the great earthquake of 1917 and restored by the Archaeology Service in 1950. A large brick candi or prasada, ornamented with modern statues, dominates the complex. Seven Saints adorn the body of the candi, and at the top are the Nine Gods-the lords of the eight directions and of the center. The temple's 64 stone seats are believed to commemorate faithful followers who died in battle and are reminiscent of megalithic ancestral seats. Just outside Kapal village, on the opposite bank of the river, grows a unique coconut tree with a split trunk, bearing fruit on both branches. Nearby stands a huge banyan tree with a complete temple built in its branches.

MENGWI. A turn off toward the mountain leads to the principality of Mengwi which, until 1891, was the center of a powerful kingdom originating from the Gelgel dynasty. These kings continue to be venerated in the state temples of Mengwi, in particular Pura Taman Ayun.

In Bali , each social unit-of increasing size beginning with the family-possesses a temple wherein they worship deified ancestors. The family ancestors are worshipped in the house temple, the clan ancestors in the clan temple, the founders of a village in the Pura Puseh, and previously the ancestors of a royal dynasty were collectively worshipped by a kingdom in the state temples. State temples include mountain temples, sea temples, and those at the heart of the kingdom, such as Mengwi's Pura Taman Ayun. Among the rows of palinggihs, (shrines that serve as "sitting places" to receive visiting deities during temple feasts) is a brick building facing east: the paibon, a royal ancestral altar. In the surrounding pavilions, priests recite prayers, village elders hold council, offerings are prepared furniture and the temple's musical instrument are stored. For those interested in traditional woodcarving, the small doors of the shrine here are beautifully carved. The moat give the impression of a sanctuary in the middle c a pond, explaining the name taman, "garden, with a pond". The water's are a symbolic place of contact with the divine through widadaris, celestial nymphs who bathe there.

Beyond the moat, the temple lies of slightly rising ground. The grassy expanse of the outermost courtyard, the fine array of merus and pavilions in the inner courtyard and its well-kept appearance make it one of the most beautiful temples in Bali . Originall dating from 1634, Taman Ayun was restore and enlarged in 1937. On its festival day. (odalan) hundreds of women file into the temple bearing colorful offerings, which the place together before the merus.

BLAYU. From Mengwi you may cross the range to the coast of North Bali . A left turn off the main road leads to Blayu where the women are weavers. The clicking of bamboo looms resound, as locally dyed threads are interwoven in webs of gold embroidery to fashion ceremonial cloths worn during festivals. A sarong two meters long takes three weeks to a month to weave, depending upon the intricacy of the design. The Balinese clean such cloth by dusting it and letting it dry in the sun, since it is not washable. In the past, girls were weaving with their mothers by the time they were ten years old. Nowadays, they are away at school and the ancient Balinese craft is left to their elders. The sarongs the Balinese wear everyday are batiks from Java and cloths woven in Balinese factories. But the demand for songkets (the cloths with interwoven gold thread) for festival and ceremonial use is still sufficient to keep busy the women of Blayu and several other villages.

MARGA. On 20 November 1946 , Lt. Col. I Gusti Ngurah Rai, a commander of nationalist troops in Bali , and his company of guerrilla fighters were killed in the Battle of Marga. Surrounded by a numerically superior Dutch force, and under bombardment from the air, the small band, only 94 men in all, refused to surrender; they attacked the enemy positions and died to the last man a puputan reminiscent of the royal puputans carried out forty years earlier also against the Dutch. At Marga there stands a monument honoring these soldiers, inscribed with a famous letter written by Ngurah Rai refusing surrender until the cause was won. Stone medallions symbolize Panca Sila, the five principles of the Indonesian state: the star for belief in God, a linked chain for democracy, a bull for nationalism, a banyan tree for humanity, and rice and cotton grains for social justice. A Hero's Day is held on the anniversary of Ngurah Rai's death and the Bali International Airport is named in his honor.

TANAH LOT . From the village of Marga , the trip west returns to the main route leading to Tabanan. At the crossroads of Kediri , a side-road branches to the sea, ending on a green hill which slopes down to the beach and to the remarkable temple of Tanah Lot , suspended on a huge rock offshore. Set apart from the land by a stone basin, the rock has been carved by incoming tides. Tanah Lot, with its solitary black towers and tufts of foliage spilling over the cliffs, recalls the delicacy of a Chinese painting. If hearsay is to be believed, there dwells inside one of the shrines at Tanah Lot a huge snake, discreetly left undisturbed by the Balinese.

Although a small sanctuary, Tanah Lot is linked to a series of sea temples on the south coast of Bali : Pura Sakenan, Pura Ulu Watu, Pura Rambut Siwi, and Pura Petitenget. All these temples are related to the principal mountain sanctuaries: Besakih at Gunung Agung Pura Batur at Batur and Pura Luhur at Mt. Batukau . The upland temples venerate deities associated with mountains and mount lakes, while the sea temples include homage.the guardian spirits of the sea within the ritual. These main temples are often listed with the sad-kahyangan, the six holy "nation temples, which exact tribute from all Balinese.

The chronicles attribute the temple at Tanah Lot to the 16-century priest Nirartha. Du.his travels along the south coast he saw rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there some fishermen saw him, and bringing g. invited him to stay at their hut. Niratha refused, saying he preferred to spend the n.on the little island. That evening he spok. the fishing folk and advised them to build shrine on the rock, for he felt it to be a.and fitting place to worship God. The villager kept their promise.

The beaches of Tanah Lot are ideal fo.laxing, especially in the late afternoons, w.. the temple on the rock dissolves into a stri. silhouette against the evening sky.

TABANAN. Pasar Hewan, in Kediri , a village en route to Tabanan, is Bali 's cattle market. Every three days, by the religious calendar, merchants from South Bali come to buy cattle for export to Singapore and Hong Kong . Other livestock on sale include geese, ducks, pigs, chickens, and fighting cocks. With such animated merchandise, there's never a dull moment at Pasar Hewan.

With Badung and Gianyar, the district of Tabanan forms the island's most prosperous region-the rice belt of the southern plains. Kept in impeccable order by thesubak associations, the fertile fields stretch from the foothills of Batukau volcano to the south coast. Farmers adhere to no special seasons for planting and harvesting. The cycles of growth vary with individual plots, and planting continues throughout the year. There is, of course, a legend to explain this. It tells how after many unsuccessful harvests, these villagers went to the main temple to beseech the divine spirits for a good yield. They vowed in exchange to sacrifice a guling buntut, a roasted, tailless pig. When the fields prospered the people remembered their vow. Dismayed by the dearth of tailless animals, they decided to offer a human being. Everyone wondered whose child would be the unfortunate one. At last, one man found a solution: since they had promised the offering after the harvest, why end the harvest at all? They quickly replanted before the crops were reaped.

Tabanan became a separate and powerful kingdom during the shake-up of political domains during the 17 th century. It has long been the home of famous gamelan orchestras and dancers, among them the great male dancer Mario. An anecdote is told of Mario. When he was shown his photograph in Covarrubias' book, he exclaimed, "That man is a good dancer. How is it I have never seen him?" and laughed with amazed delight to discover it was himself. Born around the turn of the century, he was already dancing at age six. He developed and perfected the spectacular solo dance, Kebyar, which began in North Bali during the period of World War I. Mario's grace and movement enraptured European audiences who saw him dance in the thirties.

Tabanan, like the capitals of the other regencies, has been left behind by Denpasar. However, it is a spirited, growing town, with the shops as elsewhere in Bali being in the hands of Chinese merchants. The Chinese Balinese artist, Kay It, who lives at Tabanan has had successful exhibitions in Australia . He is a painter, a batik artist, and a designer who has introduced new forms into the earthenware industry in nearby Pejaten. His tiles designed with animated little scenes are delightful in their variety. Many of his designs are based on two old Balinese human figures, the Cili and the Barong Landung.

Little known are the fabulous beaches of Tabanan. At the end of every side road to the coast lies a long deserted shore with surf there sometimes breaks over 3 meters high. Rems.villages along the way present a simpler vi.of Balinese life than those which line the. mary routes. In many temples of this region the carvings are brightly colored with silk paint. At first glance, they appear plated by precious metal. The village of Krambitan southwest of Tabanan, houses beautiful, traditionally designed buildings, such as the bale gong, the pavi1ion which contains the villager musical instruments. Krambitan was once minor court under the raja of Tabanan Carrying on this tradition, it is today the ce.of a lively group of Balinese literati who st.and sing classics of the Old Javanese. Balinese literature. A dirt road continues past the village down to the west coast. The lies a beautiful black send beach, so wide t the children use it as a football field.

BATUKAU. Mt Batukau, "the coconut shell Stone", the most westerly of Bali 's three towering peaks, at an elevation of 2,278 meters dominates the Tabanan landscape. All the temples in west Bali have a shrine venerating the spirit of Batukau. Along the road from Tabanan to Penebel, a turnoff leads to Wongaya Gede, the closest village to Pura Luhur, the main sanctuary located high on Batukau's slopes.(the road suit only a hjeep or motorbike) the uninhabited jungle above Wongaya Gede encloses the temple, aloof within its solitary clearing for above the populated farmlands. The forest and the phosphorescent green most growing everywhere are Pura Luhur's modest decorations. A Zen master would appreciate the masterly blending of temple with landscape.

A singular, seven tiered meru exalts Mahadewa, the deity associated with Batukau. The adjacent stone shrines (prasada) are similar to those at Kapal Serangan. Not far from Pura Luhur, a square lake recalls the most of Pura Taman Ayun at Mengwi. Both temples are classed as pura taman: a temple which has pond and is always maintained by a king. Lakes are also related to mountain sanctuaries, the rituals of which include veneration of lakes and blessing for irrigation water. At Pura Luhur stand shrine for the mountain lakes within its catchment: Lake Batur , Buyan and Tamlingan. When Tabanan was kingdom, pura luhur was its state mountain and ancestral temple. Among old sanctuaries on Batukau's slopes around Jatiluwih are several megalithic ones.

Nearby Pura Luhur is the holy spring of Air Panas, where hot water suggest from the river bank. All strange, natural phenomena are believed to be frequented by a spirit. Thus, air Panas is enshrined by a small temple where people make their prayers with offerings. The cool western upland, overlooking half the island of magnificent views.

NEGARA. A good distance from Tabanan stands Negara, the capital of Jembrana regency-a rugged strip of land partitioning the southwest coast of Bali . From Gilimanuk, the harbor at the westernmost tip of the island, ferries ply the narrow strait to East Java , the route by which most of Bali 's import needs, and such exports as copra and coffee, are transported.

The most exciting event in Negara is the bull races, a secular entertainment that began less than a century ago. Possibly it developed from the custom of carrying home the harvested rice by bullock cart, or it may have been introduced from Java or Madura where the sport is strong. Bulls are carefully selected for strength and color, looked after and pampered, and never used for ploughing the fields. Dressed up in silk banners with painted horns and enormous wooden bells (now usually replaced with metal bells), they parade before the crowd of spectators. The course is a 2-kilometer stretch of road, and the teams are judged for speed and style. It is remarkable to see such ordinary docile creatures thunder down to the finish, line at speeds up to 50 kilometers an hour T.agile charioteers often drive standing up , twist the bulls' tails to give them spunk. .the fans, this regional sport of Jembrana is great opportunity for gambling. A family the owns a winning bull gains much prestige, at besides, the price will double. A little magic believed to help. If you are fortunate enough be in Bali during the bull racing seas.usually between July and October, do not .seeing them.

Negara is the farthest point west cited this trip. The road however continues around the island to Singaraja, through lonely regional of the northwest the journey takes a full day on the seldom-used, rough toads.

From this point, your tours may take you through Gilimanuk and by ferry to East Java where breathtaking scenery awaits you.

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