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He eastern district
of Bali is Karangasem. Which does the mighty Gunung Agung dominate? The
east has many Place of interest and some great beaches. Bali's highest
mountain is Gunung Agung (3142 meters), towering majestically over eastern
and some great beaches.
The most disastrous volcanic eruption took place on 17th Marc 1963 When
Agung literally blew is top. Stream of lava and hot volcanic mud poured
down to the sea in the southeast of the island, covering road and isolating
the eastern and of the island. The whole island was covered in ash and
crops were wiped out. It obliterated many villages and temple, and killed
thousands of people. Most of those killed where either burned to death
or suffocated by the searing clouds of hot gas rushing down the volcanic
slopes. IT wiped out the entire villages of sorga and over high on the
slopes of Agung. Surprisingly, Besakih, just six kilometers from the crater,
suffered little damage.
These days Mount Agung is quiet and the mother temple pura Besakh perched
1000 meters up the slope attracts a steadiy stream of devotees and tourists.
Pura Besakih in Bali's most important and probably best-kept temple, comprising
about 30 separate temples in seven terraces going up the hill. Every district
in Bali has its own shrine or temple at Besakih and juts about every Balinese
god is honored
If you wan to climb Mount Agung, you must request permission from the
temple authorities, as no one should stand higher than the temple when
a ceremony is being held. It's tough 6-8 hour climb and you are recommended
to leave in early morning hire a guide.
Padang Bai is the port for the ferry service to lombok. It's a sleepy
fishing village situated in a perfectly sheltered bay. The beach is picturesque
and quaint with a long sweep of sand where colorful boats are draw up
on the beach.
From Padang Bai the road follow a beautiful stretch inland and turns off
at the mountain village of Tenganan. Tengaganan is a Bali Aga village-
on of the few Balinese communities to resist the Majapahit invasion of
1343. It is a walled village consisting of two rows of indentical houses.
This is the only place in Indonesia were double-weaving ikat, Geringsing,
is produced. The village is also famous for it lontar sacred book, traditional
Balinese palm-leaf books.
On the coastal road 13 kilometers from Tenganan is the once-quiet fishing
village of candi Dasa. You can expect to find plenty of accommodation,
restaurant, bars, souvenir shops, and some nightlife. There are fantastic
views from the headland and on a clear day Agung Mountain rises magnificently
behind the range of range of coastal hills.
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 Besakih Mother Temple
Bali's Mother Temple "Pura Besakih" the largest temple in Bali, is over 900 meters up the slopes of Gunung Agunng. It has been regarded as a holy place since pre-historic times in Bali. The first recorded mention of its existence is from an inscription of the fifteenth century it has been regarded as a central, holy temple for the entire island.
All the allegiance of the Balinese people comes together at Besakih Temple. Each regency has its own temple within the over-all compound, as do each of the caste groups. There is a total of 18 separate sanctuaries. The three main temple are : Pura Penataran Agung, dedicated to Sang Hyang Widi Wasa : Pura Kiduling Kreteg, dedicated to Brahma; and Pura Batu Madeg, dedicated to Wisnu.To the Balinese a visit to the temple sanctuaries at Besakih is a special pilgrimage. Each temple has its own Odalan, or anniversary celebration, and on the full moon of the Balinese month "Kedasa" the entire compound of Besakih celebrates the visit of the gods, with an enormous throng of visiting pilgrims. Pura Besakih , the holiest of all temples in Bali. It origated most probably as a prehistoric terraced santuary where worship and offering were made to the God of Gunung Agung, the dominant landscape element in the Balinese world. Over a thousand years and more, it was enlarged and added to until grew into the present complex of about 30 temples. In the 10th century it was apparently a state temple. According to inscriptions kept here, an important event took place in the year 1007. If can only be quessed that this was associated with death rituals for queen Mahendradratta, Udayana's Co-ruler who died yhe previous year. Since the 15th century it was the state temple of the Gelgel - Klungkung dynasty which built a series of small templs inhonor of its deifie rulers. Now is the state temple for the provincial and national governments which meet all expenses. Today, Pura Besakih is revered by al Balinese as the "Mother Temple" Of Bali. Within the Besakih complex, the paramount sanctuary is the Pura Penataran Agung which rears is lofty merus on a high bank of terraces. Steps ascend in along perspective to the austere split gate. Insede the main courtyard stands the three-seated shrine enthronigh the Trisakti, the trinity of Brahma, Visnu and Siwa. During festivan the shrines are wrapped in colored cloth sybolic of the deities. The Pura Penataran Agung And two other important temples higher up the slopes likewise together symbolize theTrisakti. In the center Pura Penataran Agung is hugh with white banners for Siwa : to the right, Pura Kiduling Kreteg with red banners for Brahma: and Pura Batu Madeg, to the left, with balck banners for visnu. These letter two temples are taken care of by the Karangasem and Bangli regencies respectively, certain othr being the responsibility of the other regencies. All of Bali comes thogether at Pura Besakih. Relegiosly. oness is symbolized in the padmasana in Pura Pentaran Agung, dedicated to Sang Hyang Widdhi Wasa, in the Supreme God.
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Tirta Gangga Temple
Amlapura's water-loving rajah, having constructed his masterpiece at Ujung, later and another go at Tirtagangga. This water palace, built around 1947,was damaged in the 1963 eruption of Agung and during the political events that wracked Indonesia around the same time. Nevertheless it's still a place of beauty and solitude and a reminder of the power the old Balinese rajahs once had. There's a swimming pool here as well as the ornamental ponds. Entrance to the water palace is 5,000rp (children2,500rp) and another 25,000rp (children 15.000rp) to use the fine swimming pool (10.000rp for the lower one, children 5,000rp).
The rice terraces around Tirtagangga are reputed to be some of the most beautiful in Bali. They sweep out from Tirtagangga almost like a sea surrounding an island. A few km beyond here, on the road round the east coast to Singaraja, there are more Dramatically beautiful terraces
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Tenganan Area
Tenganan is Bali Aga Village, a center of the original Balinese prior to the Majapahit arrival. Unlike that other well-known Bali Aga centers, Truyan, this is a friendly place and also much more interesting. Tenganan is walled village and consist basically of two rows of identical houses stretching up the gentle slope of the hill. They face each other across a grassy central area where the village public building area located. The Bali Aga is reputed to be exceptionally conservative and resistant to change but even here the modern age has not been totally held at bay. A small forest of Television realism sprout from those oh-so traditional houses! The most straining feature of tenganan, however, is its exceptional neatness - I all looks spick and span and neat as can be and the hills behind provide a beautiful backdrop.
Tenganan is full of strange customs, festivals and practices. Double ikat cloth, know as gringsing, is still woven here where the pattern to be produced is dyed on the individual threads, both warp (lengthwise) and weft (crosswise), before the cloth is woven. This is the only place in Indonesia where the double ikat technique is practiced; all other ikat produced in the archipelago is single ikat where only the warp or weft, never both, is dyed.
A magical cloth known as Kamben gringsing is also woven here - a person wearing it is said to be protected against black magic! A peculiar old-fashioned version of the gamelan known as the gamelan selunding is still played here and girls dance and equally forgotten dance known as the Rejang. At the Usaba Sambah festival once a year around June or July men fight with their fist wrapped in sharp- edged pandanus leaves-similar events occur on the island of Sumba, far to the east in Nusa Tenggara. At this same festival small man-powered Ferris wheels are brought out and the village girls are ceremonially twirled round. There are other Bali Aga Village in the vicinity including Asak where the even more ancient Gamelan Gambang is played.
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Padangbai Area
Padangbai is the port for the ferry service between Bali and Lombok. Along with Benoa it's the principal shipping port in the south of the island. Padangbai is a couple of km off the main road, a scruff little town situated on a perfect little bay, one of the very few sheltered harbors in Bali. It's very picturesque with long sweep of sand where colorful outrigger fishing boats are drawn up on the beach.
Padangbai can be an interesting place to spend a day or so if you don't want to simply arrive in the morning and depart straight for Lombok. If you walk round to the right from the wharf and follow the trail up the hill it leads to an idyllic little beach on the exposed coast outside the bay.
The cora reefs around Pulau Kambing, off Padangbai, offer excellent diving possibilities. Gili Toapekong, with a series of coral heads at the top of the droip off, is apparently the best site. The currents here are strong and unpredictable and there are also sharks - it's recommended for experienced divers only. Cruise ships visiting Bali usually use Padangbai but have to anchor offshore outside theharbour as only small ships can actually enter the bay.
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