Nyepi (Silent Day)

BALINESE HINDU NYEPI DAY
BALINESE HINDU NYEPI DAY IS HINDU BALINESE NEW YEAR AND THEY OPEN NEW YEAR WITH SILENCE

          Balinese Hindu Nyepi Day , Every religion or culture all over the world has their own way to define and celebrate their new year. For example, the Chinese have the Imlek year and to celebrate it, have, as they called it in their own language, "Gong Xi Fat Choy". The Moslem societies have their Muharam year, and any of the people over the world using the Gregorian calendar, celebrate the New Year on January 1st.

          The same thing also occurs in Bali, however the Balinese use many different calendar systems. They have adopted the Gregorian calendar for business and government purposes. But for the endless procession of holy days, temple anniversaries, celebrations, sacred dances, building houses, wedding ceremonies, death and cremation processes and other activities that define Balinese life

         They have two calendar systems. The first is the Pawukon (from the word Wuku which means week) and Sasih (which is means month). Wuku consists of 30 items starting from Sinta, the first Wuku and end up with the Watugunung the last one. The Pawukon, a 210-day ritual calendar brought over from Java in the 14th century, is a complex cycle of numerological conjunctions that provides the basic schedule for ritual activities on Bali. Sasih, a parallel system of Indian origin, is a twelve month lunar calendar that starts with the vernal equinox and is equally important in determining when to pay respect to the Gods.

          Westerners open the New Year in revelry, however, in contrast, the Balinese open their New Year in silence. This is called Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of Silence, which falls on the day following the dark moon of the spring equinox, and opens a new year of the Saka Hindu era which began in 78 A.D.

          Nyepi is a day to make and keep the balance of nature. It is based on the story of when King Kaniska I of India was chosen in 78 A.D. The King was famous for his wisdom and tolerance for the Hinduism and Buddhism societies. In that age, Aji Saka did Dharma Yatra (the missionary tour to promote and spread Hinduism) to Indonesia and introduce the Saka year.
The lead upto Nyepi day is as follows:

Melasti or Mekiyis or Melis (three days before Nyepi)

       Melasti is meant to clean the pratima or arca or pralingga (statue), with symbols that help to concentrate the mind in order to become closer to God. The ceremony is aimed to clean all nature and its content, and also to take the Amerta (the source for eternal life) from the ocean or other water resources (ie lake, river, etc). Three days before Nyepi, all the effigies of the Gods from all the village temples are taken to the river in long and colourful ceremonies. There, they have are bathed by the Neptune of the Balinese Lord, the God Baruna, before being taken back home to their shrines

Tawur Kesanga (the day before Nyepi)
          Exactly one day before Nyepi, all villages in Bali hold a large exorcism ceremony at the main village cross road, the meeting place of demons. They usually make Ogoh ogoh (the fantastic monsters or evil spirits or the Butha Kala made of bamboo) for carnival purposes. The Ogoh-ogoh monsters symbolize the evil spirits surrounding our environment which have to be got rid of from our lives . The carnivals themselves are held all over Bali following sunset. Bleganjur, a Balinese gamelan music accompanies the procession. Some are giants taken from classical Balinese lore. All have fangs, bulging eyes and scary hair and are illuminated by torches. The procession is usually organised by the Seka Teruna, the youth organisation of Banjar. When Ogoh-ogoh is being played by the Seka Teruna, everyone enjoys the carnival. In order to make a harmonic relation between human being and God, human and human, and human and their environments, Tawur Kesanga is performed in every level of society, from the people's house. In the evening, the Hindus celebrating Ngerupuk, start making noises and light burning torches and set fire to the Ogoh-ogoh in order to get the Bhuta Kala, evil spirits, out of our lives

Nyepi
        Nyepi day itself, every street is quiet - there are nobody doing their normal daily activities. There is usually Pecalangs (traditional Balinese security man) who controls and checks for street security. Pecalang wear a black uniform and a Udeng or Destar (a Balinese traditional "hat" that is usually used in ceremony). The Pecalangs main task is not only to control the security of the street but also to stop any activities that disturb Nyepi. No traffic is allowed, not only cars but also people, who have to stay in their own houses. Light is kept to a minimum or not at all, the radio or TV is turned down and, of course, no one works. Even love making, this ultimate activity of all leisure times, is not supposed to take place, nor even attempted. The whole day is simply filled with the barking of a few dogs, the shrill of insect and is a simple long quiet day in the calendar of this otherwise hectic island. On Nyepi the world expected to be clean and everything starts anew, with Man showing his symbolic control over himself and the "force" of the World, hence the mandatory religious control.

Ngembak Geni (the day after Nyepi)
       Ngembak is the day when Catur Berata Penyepian is over and Hindus societies usually visit to forgive each other and doing the Dharma Canthi. Dharma Canthi are activities of reading Sloka, Kekidung, Kekawin, etc

          From the religious and philosophy point of view, Nyepi is meant to be a day of self introspection to decide on values, eg humanity, love, patience, kindness, etc., that should kept forever. Balinese Hindus have many kind of celebrations (some sacred days) but Nyepi is, perhaps the most important of the island's religious days and the prohibitions are taken seriously, particularly in villages outside of Bali's southern tourist belt.
Hotels are exempt from Nyepi's rigorous practices but streets outside will be closed to both pedestrians and vehicles (except for airport shuttles or emergency vehicles) and village wardens (Pecalang) will be posted to keep people off the beach. So wherever you happen to be staying on Nyepi Day in Bali, this will be a good day to spend indoors. Indeed Nyepi day has made Bali a unique island.

Barong Dance

BARONG AND KERIS DANCE
BARONG AND KERIS DANCE IS BALINESE DANCE STORY ABOUT THE FIGHT BETWEN BARONG AS A GOOD SPIRIT WITH RANGDA AS A BAD SPIRIT

          Barong is a character in the mythology of Bali. He is the king of the spirits, leader of the hosts of good, and enemy of Rangda in the mythological traditions of Bali. Banas Pati Rajah is the fourth "brother" or spirit child that accompanies a child throughout life. Banas Pati Rajah is the spirit which animates Barong. A protector spirit, he is often represented by a lion, and traditional performances of his struggles against Rangda are popular parts of Balinese culture. The Barong Dance is often portraited with two monkeys

          The Barong is the magical protector of Balinese villages. As & lord of the forest with fantastic fanged mask and long mane, he is the opponent of Rangda the witch, who rules over the spirits of darkness, in the never ending fight between good and evil. During the Galungan Kuningan festivals, the Barong (there are many types, including barong ket, barong macan, and barong bangkal) wanders from door to door (nglawang) cleansing the territory of evil influences.

          Barong and Kris dance like the kecak dance the Barong and Kris dance is a battle between good and evil spirit. Barong can take various forms but in this dance he takes the form of the dance Barong Keket, the most holy of the Barongs. The Barong Keket is a strange creature, half shaggy dog, half lion and is played by two men in much the same way as a circus clown-horse. His opponent is the witch Rangda.

Story of Barong and Kris Dance Performance
         The fight between Barong and Rangda is also the topic of traditional narratives, usually performed in the temple of the dead. The most famous is the story of Calonarang, a widow from Jirah who is furious because she cannot find a suitable husband for her daughter Ratna Manggali. All the eligible young men are scared of her black magic, so she gets revenge by wreaking havoc over the kingdom of Daha. The king, Erlangga, tries to punish her, but all his attempts fail. She kills all the soldiers he sends to destroy her. Then Rangda decides to destroy Daha. She summons all her disciples and in the still of night they go to the Setra Gendrainayu cemetery, to present offerings of dead flesh to Durga, the goddess of death. Durga agrees to the destruction, although she warns the witch not to enter the city of Daha. But the witch does not heed Durga's advice and the kingdom is soon hit by grubug (a plague) and the villages quickly become cemeteries, people dying even before they can bury their dead. Corpses are scattered everywhere and the stench is unbearable.The only person who can defeat the witch is Mpu Bharadah. At the king's request, Bharadah sends his disciple Bahula to steal Calonarang's magic weapon.images/banaspati.jpg>Bahula pretends to ask for Ratna Manggali's hand in marriage, and while the witch is away, Bahula steals the magic weapon with the help of Ratna Manggali. Then he gives the stolen weapon to his teacher Bharadah. The weapon turns out to be a manuscript containing the key to ultimate release (mokswhich has been used upside-down by Calonarang. Bharadah goes to Daha to challenge the witch. With the help of the Barong, she is defeated. Before being killed, she asks to be released from her curse and purified.

          The story goes that Rangda, the mother of Erlangga, the King of Bali in the tenth century, was condemned by Erlangga's father because she practiced black magic. After she became a widow, she summoned all the evil spirits in the jungle, the leaks and the demons, to come after Erlangga. A fight occurred, but she and her black magic troops were too strong that Erlangga had to ask for the help of Barong. Barong came with Erlangga's soldiers, and fight ensued. Rangda casted a spell that made Erlangga soldiers all wanted to kill themselves, pointing their poisoned keris into their own stomachs and chests. Barong casted a spell that turned their body resistant to the sharp keris. At the end, Barong won, and Rangda ran away.

          Somebody can die or get seriously injured in a Barong dance. It is said that if Rangda's spell is too strong, a weak soldier may not be able to resist it, even with the help of Barong. He may end up hurting himself with his own keris. The masks of Barong and Rangda are considered sacred items, and before they are brought out, a priest must be present to offer blessings by sprinkling them with holy water taken from Mount Agung, and offerrings must be presented.

          Barong Dance is one of the distinctive arts community of Bali, where Barong it self is symbolic of goodness with shape like a lion. in Barong dance it tells the story about battle between Barong and Rangda, Rangda is a symbolic of badness with shape like a giant with a big canine. Both of them is a reflection of human action in daily life with the good and bad behavior, or in Balinese it's call Dharma and Adharma. Barong is like a doll which being moved by person inside it, Barong is very heavy, this dance usually performed by two big mans that lift and moving the barong from the inside. The story goes that Rangda, the mother of Erlangga, the King of Bali in the tenth century, was condemned by Erlangga's father because she practiced black magic. After she became a widow, she summoned all the evil spirits in the jungle, the leaks and the demons, to come after Erlangga. A fight occurred, but she and her black magic troops were too strong that Erlangga had to ask for the help of Barong. Barong came with Erlangga's soldiers, and fight ensued. Rangda casted a spell that made Erlangga soldiers all wanted to kill themselves, pointing their poisoned keris into their own stomachs and chests. Barong casted a spell that turned their body resistant to the sharp keris. At the end, Barong won, and Rangda ran away.

Barong is probably the most well known dance. It is also another story telling dance, narrating the fight between good and evil. This dance is the classic example of Balinese way of acting out mythology, resulting in myth and history being blended into one reality.

Kecak Dance

     BALI KECAK AND FIRE DANCE
BALI KECAK AND FIRE DANCE IS TRADITIONAL BALINESE DANCE WITH STORY FROM FRAGMENT RAMAYANA

          Bali Kecak and Fire Dance Performance, Not known exactly where Kecak dance originated and which was first developed, but there are some kind of agreement on the Balinese Kecak was first developed into a performing arts in the village of Bona, Gianyar, as additional knowledge Kecak was originally a song or music that is resultant from a combination sounds that make up melodies that are usually used to accompany the sacred dance Sanghyang. And can only be staged in the temple. Then in the early 1930s by artists from the village of Bona, Gianyar trying to develop a Kecak dance by taking the story of Ramayana who danced as a substitute for Sanghyang Dance so this dance could eventually be displayed in public as a performance art. Part of the Ramayana story in which the first is taken as Goddess Sita was abducted by King Ravana.

The development of Bali Kecak and Fire Dance in Bali
          Kecak Dance in Bali continues to change and progress since the 1970's. Developments can be seen is in terms of story and staging. In terms of the story for staging not only sticking to one part of the Ramayana, but also other parts of the story of the Ramayana. Then in terms of staging also began to experience growth not only found in one place likes the Village Bona, Gianyar, but also other villages in Bali began to develop Kecak dance so all regions in Bali there are dozens of Kecak groups whose members are usually members of the Banjar. Activities such as Kecak dance festival is often held in Bali well by government or by a school of art in Bali. As well as from the amount of much dancers who ever performed in the Kecak dance was recorded in 1979 which involved 500 dancers. At that time kecak performed by taking the story from the Mahabharata. But this record was broken by Tabanan regency government that organizes colossal Kecak dance with 5000 dancers on September 29, 2006, at Tanah Lot, Tabanan, Bali.
 

Pattern of Bali Kecak and Fire Dance

          As a Kecak dance performance is supported by some very important factor, and in the Kecak dance performance presents the dance as an introduction to the story, of course, vital music to accompany the dancers movements. But in the Kecak Dance, the music generated from a combination sounds of members "cak" which were about 50-70 people all of them will make music in akapela. A person will act as a leader who gives the tone early, someone else acting as a suppressor in charge of pressure high or low tone, someone else acting as a solo singer, and someone else will act as the mastermind behind that to deliver the story. the dancers in the Kecak dance motion should not follow the movement of dance accompanied with gamelan. So in the Kecak dancethis gestures of the dancer is more relaxed because the main priority is the storyline and the sound mix.

Bali Kecak and Fire Dance Performance Story

          Bali Golden Tour What makes the Kecak special is that the accompanying music is provided by the human voice, the gamelan suara, a choir of a hundred men or more sitting in concentric circles, swaying, standing up, lying prone as the story develops.Amongst the swaying masses the voices of the storytellers can be heard telling the unfolding tale.

          The story is a fragment from the Ramayana, the Hindu epic which finds its expression in many forms, not only in dance, but also in painting and carving. Prince Rama, heir to the throne of the kingdom of Ayodya, and his wife Sita have been banished from the kingdom by King Dasarata as a result of trickery by Rama's stepmother. The story begins with the arrival of Rama and Sita accompanied by Rama's brother Laksmana in the forest of Dandaka.
The trio have been observed by the demon Rahwana, King of Alengka, who lusts after the beautiful Sita. Rahwana sends his prime minister Marica to try and isolate Sita so that Rahwana can kidnap her. Marica's magical powers turn him into a golden deer and he enters the forest and when the Sita sees the golden deer she is so enchanted by it that she asks Rama to capture it for her. Rama chases after the deer leaving his brother Laksamana behind with strict instuction to protec Sita. When Sita thinks she hears a cry for help from Rama she forces Laksamana to go after Rama by accusing him of cowardice and he goes off to help Rama with great reluctance after drawing a magic circle on the ground and telling Sita the she should not under any circumstance step out side the circle.
Sita, left alone in the forest becomes an easy prey to the trickery of Rahwana who has disguised himself has an old periest and bags Sita for some food as he is cold and hungry. Sita falls for for his trick, she steps outside the circle to give the old priest some food and rahwana grabs her and takes her to his palace.Once back in his palace in Alengka, Rahwana tries everything he can to seduce Sita without any luck.
In the palace of Alengka, Sita pours out her heart about her cruel fate to Rahwana's niece Trijata, when Hanoman appears telling her that hi is Rama's envoy and proving it by showing her Rama's ring. Sita gives Hanoman a hairpin to show she is still alive and sand him back to Rama with a massage to come to her rescue.
In the meantime Rama and Laksamana accompanied by Tualen are wandering in the forest looking for Sita when Meganada, Rahwana's son, appeares and engages Rama and Laksamana in Battle. Meganada uses his magic powers and shoots of an arrow which magically turns in to a dragon which overpowers Rama and Laksamana and they are trussed up in ropes.
The bird Garuda, King of all the bird, a good friend of King Dasarata, has observed trouble Rama is in from high up in the sky and comes to the rescue freeing the brothers from the ropes. Rama and Laksamana continue on their way to rescue Sita and are joined by Sugriwa, king of the monkeyes, and his monkeys army.
This fragmen of the Ramayana come to an end with the bittle between Sugriwa and his Monkeys Army and Meganada and his Demon Army which ends with the defeat of Meganada.

Balinese Temple

 BALINESE HINDU TEMPLE
BALINESE HINDU TEMPLE IS A PLACE OF WORSHIP FOR HINDU, EACH BALINESE HINDU FAMILY HAS FAMILY TEMPLE FOR WORSHIP GOD AND THEIR ANCESTOR

Unlike temples in Java, temples in Bali (called pura), become parts of the life of Balinese who mostly are Hindu. Balinese Hindu Temple is a place of worship for Hindu in Bali Islands. Each Hindu family has family temple to worship Hyang Widhi and their ancestors, so that there are thousands of temples in the island of Bali.

Balinese Hindu Temple Generally :
bali batuam templeKahyangan Desa Temple. Each village generally has three main temples called Tiga Kahyangan Temples or Tri Kahyangan Temples (temples of three nirvanas), i.e. temples to the worship of Sang Hyang Widi Wasa in three manifestations of power:

1.     Desa Temple to the worship of Brahma (the Creator)
2.     Puseh Temple to the worship of Vishnu (the Preserver)
3.     Dalem Temple to the worship of Shiva (the Destroyer)

Desa (village) Temple is also called Bale Agung, because the temple, which is usually located at village center, also serves as a venue for village consultative meeting.

bali uluwatu templeKahyangan Jagat Temple. Kahyangan Temple is a place where common people worship Ida Sang Hyang Widi Wasa in various manifestations and ancestral spirits.
Included in Kahyangan Jagat Temple category is Sad Kahyangan Temple (sad = six), i.e. a temple situated in six major Kahyangan in Bali.

Sad Khayangan Temples consists of:

•     Uluwatu Temple
•     Lempuyang Temple
•     Goa Lawah Temple
•     Batu Karu Temple
•     Bukit Pengalengan Temple
•     Besakih Temple

Sad Khayangan Temples is believed to be the spiritual vein of for Bali and a center for religious practices. Also included in the category of kategori Kahyangan Jagat Temples, in addition to Sad Kahyangan Temples, is Dhang Kahyangan Temples, i.e. a temple built by spiritual leaders in the past. Luhur Uluwatu Temple is also a Dhang Kahyangan Temples that was built in the 15th century by Dhang Hyang Nirartha.

Luhur Temples. Nearly all districts in Bali have Luhur Temples (luhur = high), i.e. temple whose anniversary is celebrated by followers by staging a piodalan (ceremony) that involves thousands of people. Tanah Lot Temples, Goa Lawah Temples, and Uluwatu Temples belong to this category.

bali merajan templeKawitan Temples. Balinese Hindu temple is a place of worship for family or descendants of a particular leader.
Temples belonging to this category are:

•     Sanggah-Pemerajan Temple
•     Pratiwi Temple
•     Paibon Temple
•     Panti Temple
•     Dadia or Dalem Dadia Temple
•     Penataran Dadia Temple
•     Pedharman Temple

Swagina Temples. This balinese hindu temple is a place of worship for people with particular liveli hoods or occupations,
Temples belonging to this category are:

•     Melanting Temple for merchants
•     Subak Temple for farmers

Balinese Offerings

 BALINESE HINDU OFFERING
BALINESE OFFERING MEANING FOR BALINESE HINDU IS TO TRANSFORM THE FOOD OFFERED FROM MATERIAL NUTRITION IN TO SPRITUAL MERCY

 

 

          Balinese Offering, In Hinduism, food plays an important role in rituals and worship, and the food offered to the gods is called prasada. The Sanskrit word "prasada" means "mercy," or the divine grace of God. We can make the preparing of food, the offering of food to God, and the eating of the food offered, into a powerful devotional meditation. If, as a meditative discipline, we can offer our food to God with devotion before eating it, not only are we not implicated in the karma involved in acquiring the food, but we can actually make spiritual progress by eating the offered food. Our devotion, and God's grace, subtly transforms the food offered from material nutrition to spiritual mercy or prasada

Guidelines to Prepare Prasada or Hindu Offering :

Before we can offer any food to God, however, we must first follow some important guidelines while preparing the food.

1.First, God only accepts purely vegetarian offerings - offerings that are acquired without pain and suffering on the part of any creature. So, we have to strictly avoid cooking any meat (including chicken; a bird is not a vegetable!), fish and eggs.

2.Second, we can't offer any onions, garlic or mushrooms. This may seem like an odd proscription; but the Vedic scriptures, as well as the ancient natural medicinal system of Ayurveda, explain that these foods excite the more passionate elements of the human psycho-physical constitution.

3.Third (and this can sometimes be tough), we must not taste the food before it is offered to God. The preparing of prasada is done as an active devotional meditation. So the goal is to prepare delicious foods, not with our own satisfaction in mind, but thinking only of the satisfaction of God. Therefore, He should be the first to "taste" the fruits of our labors.

4.Keeping this meditative goal in mind, it is important to have an atmosphere in our kitchen that is conducive to creating a meditative and devotional state. We should be in a calm, peaceful and contemplative frame of mind while preparing food for God, thinking to ourselves as we prepare the food that we are acting for God's satisfaction, and not just our own.

5.Finally, as in any spiritual endeavor, it is important to maintain a high standard of cleanliness while preparing, cooking, and offering the food. The kitchen, utensils and foods used should be clean. We ourselves also should be clean and bathed before beginning Prasada-Meditation, or any other meditation for that matter.

If we can follow all of the above guidelines and, most importantly, maintain a meditative consciousness of love and devotion for God as we are performing these activities, then God will gladly accept our offering
how to give offering

How to Offerring Food to God

1. 1.          It is helpful if you have an altar already set up somewhere in your home, apartment or dorm. On this altar should be either a sacred image or a picture of God in any of His sacred forms. For example, an image of any of His incarnations - Rama, Krishna, Narasingha - or any other form, such as Srinathaji or Venkateshvara, is fine. In addition, you can include images of your guru, saints, or other devas or devis on your altar - Durga, Ganesha, Sarasvati, etc. Images of God, however, should be the focal-point of any altar used for meditation. If you don't have an altar, then placing a simple image of God somewhere special will do.
2. 2.          When the food is ready, take a sampling of each preparation, along with a glass or cup of water, and place them all on a special plate that is used only for offering food to God. This plate must never be used for any other purpose than offering food in Prasada-Meditation. Place the plate of food before the sacred image. Offer a little incense to God. Then, in a meditative and devotional state of mind, sit with eyes closed in meditation and recite several sacred mantras. One such mantra which is highly effective is: Om Namo Narayanaya.
3. 3.          After chanting this mantra for some time, then remain in silent prayer for 5 - 10 minutes and request the Lord to accept your offering. After you have offered the food in this way, the food that you have cooked is now sanctified and considered to be prasada, food transformed into the grace of God. By partaking in such food, we show our devotion to God, and thus make spiritual advancement.
4. 4.           The food on the the plate should be re-merged into the food in the pots. Having thanked the Lord for accepting your offering, the prasada can now be eaten. The food should also be eaten with meditative awareness, peacefully and respectfully.

While eating the prasada, please always be conscious and aware that you are partaking in the special grace of God. Eat with everence, and enjoy!

About Bali Island

ABOUT BALI ISLAND
BALI IS A SMALL TINY ISLANDS AND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TOURIST SPOT IN ASIA

Being one of the most beautiful tourist spots in Asia, Bali is attracts more than 1.000.000 visitor from all over the world.Geographically , Bali is situated between the island Java and Lombok. Bali is a small tiny island, stretching approximately 140 km from west to east and 80 km from south to north.

Bali Islands Regency

The province of Bali is divided into nine regencies (eight regencies and one municipality) with its own capital. Buleleng covers an area of 1,365.88 km2 or about 24% of the Bali’s land. Jembrana covers an area of 841,80 km2 or about 14.94%, Karangasem 839,54 km2 or about 15% of Bali’s land, Badung 420,09 km2, Denpasar 123,98 km2, Gianyar 368 km2, Klungkung 315,00 km2 and Bangli 520,81 km2 or about 31%. The population is almost 3,6 million.

The tallest of  a string of volcanic mountains that run from west to east is Gunung Agung Volcano, which last erupted in 1963. Located just 8 to 9 degrees south of the equator, Bali boasts a tropical climate with just two season ( wet and dry ) average temperature around 28C. the wide and gentle sloping southern regions play host to Bali’s Famed rice terraces, which are among some of the most spectacular in the world.

Balinese hindu women prayIn the hilly northern coastal regions, the main produce is coffee, copra, spices, vegetables, rice and cattle. Our Balinese have a very strong spiritual roots and despite the large influx of tourists over the year, their culture is still very much alive. The main religion in Bali is Agama Hindhu Dharma, which originally come from India, but compare to India, the way of practicing is different because the Hindhu in Bali has blend with Buddhist, Javanese and ancient indigenous beliefs.

Temple at Bali Islands

Balinese temple is a place of worship for Hindu. Each Hindu family has family temple to worship Hyang Widhi and their ancestors, so that there are thousands of temples in the island of Bali. Ritual or ceremony almost seen every day in Bali with 5 main ceremony covered : Ritual for God, Ancestor, Priest, Human life ceremony and for the evil spirits. The famous touristic area is kuta which is booming since 1970 because of the white beaches, nice surf and beautiful sunset. Today kuta is a major tourist destination, with hundreds of hotel, shops, bar and restaurants.

For those who looking for  a little peace and quiet tend to head for more sedate resort of Sanur, Candidasa and Amed on the east coast. Nusa dua, on the southern most peninsula of the island, houses many five star hotels. The central village of Ubud, in the hilly region of Gianyar, has also blossomed as a tourist attraction and is now considered as the artistic and cultural center of Bali.

Traditional Balinese people bounded to social aspect of life such as :

• 1. Obligation to worships God through a aprticular temple
• 2. Obligation to worships God through a family temple or community temple
• 3. Attached ownership of property which belong to aprticular Subak (irrigation system in Bali)
• 4. To the social status based on varna
• 5. To the closed relationships in line with patrilineal system
• 6. To the memberships of certain group
• 7. To the official administration sub district

Population is asset for development if you can maximise their potential, even through they could burden if they have no value or skill.