Denpasar Sightseeing Tips...
Denpasar is Bali’s governmental and business capital but also the busiest city on Bali with traffic jams, motor bikes taking over from left and right, dirty old city buses and trucks with their loads to expand the city even more.
It has attracted people from all over Bali, other Indonesian islands and even from the Middle-East and India in the hope to make a fortune.
Even though it's such a busy city there are still a couple of interesting sights to visit when you’re on your way from south Bali to central Bali.
Funny enough most of them are located around the green and quiet Puputan Square in the middle of the city.
The Puputan Square is a reminder of the heroic suicide of the Balinese royal family and elite on 20th September 1920.
The puputan memorial reminds of those fallen for freedom
They preferred to fight against the Dutch colonial power and to take their own lives (puputan) than to live in disgrace under the Dutch colonial power.
Men, women, elderly and even children committed suicide by using the kris (traditional dagger).
In the middle of the square a bronze monument has been erected to commemorate the freedom fighters that died in another puputan after World War II when the Dutch tried to regain the island.
In the north-western corner of Puputan Square you can find the statue of Batara Guru with its four heads facing every wind direction.
The 5m high statue is devoted to Shiva (the destroyer) and blesses the travellers on the road.
Batara Guru statue with its four heads
The Pura Jagatnatah temple is also located on the Puputan Square and was built in 1953. The temple is dedicated to the supreme god Sanghyang Widhi Wasa.
The shrine is made out of white coral and is built on top of the back of a cosmic turtle statue and two mythological serpents that symbolizes the foundation of the world.
The temple is often closed to tourists since many Balinese come here to bring offerings but you might be lucky and get in.
In front of the Museum Negiri Propinsi Bali
Next door of the temple is the very interesting Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali. It was built in 1910 by the Dutch who wanted to collect and store artifacts in order to preserve Balinese culture.
In 1917 the museum was destroyed with hundreds of other buildings by the eruption of Gunung Batur. It was rebuilt in 1925 and turned into an ethnographic museum in 1932.
Stylish carved entrance to the Bali museum
The museum is divided into several pavilions where you find archaeological findings from Gilimanuk, barong dance costumes and topeng masks, Kamasan and Ubud style paintings and other Bali handicrafts such as ikat cloths and woodcarvings.
Several of these buildings are copies of palaces from Tabanan, Buleleng (Singaraja) and east Karangasem (now Amlapura).
A barong mask, this time it's a pig
There are no official guides available at the museum but there are some Balinese men who love to guide you around. Try to test their English first though since I got stuck with one guy I couldn’t follow for over one hour…
The museum is a perfect place to learn quickly about the Balinese culture and provides thorough information of what you can expect on your travels throughout the rest of Bali.
Taman Werdi Budaya (the Art Center) is located on Jalan Nusa Indah, in the eastern part of Denpasar. It is the cultural center for paintings, masks, wood carvings and dance performances.
This is also the place where the annual art festival takes place in June and July. Every district in Bali is represented and there are several competitions in music, dance, costumes, drama, woodcarving and food.
