Exploring Pura Alas Kedaton close to Mengwi Bali

Visiting Pura Taman Ayun was very cool especially having Barrie around to point out the interesting structures and describe what the place was like 15 years ago.

We shot off to our next destination which was Pura Alas Kedaton located 3 miles to the north west.

Quite easy to find especially the with the massive ‘Tourist Object’ sign out front the entry was 3,300rp which included the female guide. The place reminded me of Tanah Lot with its rows of shops and no customers. People seemed super relaxed and sat back in the shade taking a drink and enjoying the afternoon.

As soon as we came to the end of the shops we were immediately joined by a family of monkeys. One of the larger males was bouncing up and down on the tin roof of one of the shops and came straight after us. Locals told us the monkeys were good though.

Barrie said that the monkey is the most important animal in Balinese Hinduism and I know that in India they worship the monkey God Hanuman.

Barrie and I tried to get shots of the monkeys while Candika chatted with the guide who told her that the ‘good monkeys’ from Sanggeh monkey forest get to spend some time here on R&R. They are well fed and we say them chewing on corn and nuts. One even opened Barrie’s water bottle and sat there drinking out of it like an old man.

We walked around the temple structures which seemed ordinary after seeing Taman Ayun. Walking through the forest we saw some amazing roots which had wound their way around tress creating a weird effect.

Barrie told us there were hundreds of bats here and looking up at one tree I saw hundreds just hanging there in the boiling sunshine.

After about an hour we set off for our last point of interest, the Subak museum in Tabanan which is a historical exhibition about rice farming in Bali. It is located close to downtown in Tabanan off the main road in Banjar Senggulan which is 2km east of Tabanan. My guide book says it is open 8am � 5pm Mon Fri, but as we found out is only open till 1pm on Fridays. Oh well some other time.

Rice cultivation plays such an important part in Bali past, present and future that is would be interesting to check the museum out and to learn more about the traditional system of irrigation. The Balinese irrigation system goes back as far as 600AD and the rice farmers collective (subak) strictly controls changes in any water course and when a field can be flooded etc. to ensure fair distribution of the water. The subak is so vital to the organization of rice production that it cuts across village and banjar lines. The Goddess of rice and prosperity Dewi Sri is worshiped. I remember sharing some ‘tuak’ the local beer made from palm sap, with some locals in Karangasem and they would tip a bit on the ground for Dewi Sri.

The head of the Subak organization in Bali is the Jero Gede who is the high priest at Pura Ulun Danau Batur up near Kintamani. His authority cannot be questioned.