Bali Rice Fields

Rice field is inseparable part of Balinese religious life, it is deeply venerated by Balinese in a special temple known as Ulun Swi / Suwi temple. Based on sacred Kurakanda Dewapurana manuscript, the word “Ulun Swi” is derived from the word “ulu” which means “center” or “source” and the word “swi” which means ‘rice field” or “water”. In other words, the Ulun Swi temple is the center of rice fields in a certain area.
Ulun Swi temple serves as aplace for farmers to ask for fertility and succesful harvest. It is a place where they pay homage to the deity of the land (Ida Bhatara Bhaka Bhumi) so the earth will yield good harvest and insects, mice, birds and other disturbances will not damage the crops. Based on the sacred Usana Dewa manuscript, Ida Bhatara Bhaka Bhumi is resided in Ulun Swi Temple and serves as the soul of the land and worshiped by those whose livelihood are depend on the soil.
Pura Ulun Swi is maintained by subak (an autonomous socio-religious association which deals with matters related to the cultivation and irrigation of rice in certain area). Each subak has its own Ulun Swi Temple and the members of the subak are also the congregations of the temple.

Bali Kerthagosa Restoration

May 30th, 2009, the Embassy of Italy – with the support of the Bupati of Klungkung, the Italian Institute of Culture, the Bali Purnati Foundation and other Institutions and individuals concerned with the enhancement of the cultural relations between Indonesia and Italy – intends to hold a multi-media event and the launch of a cooperation of restoration in the Kerta Ghosa complex in Klungkung, which was the capital of the Balinese Regency during the Majapahit period, focusing on the ancient Court of Justice, as well as the refurbishment of the Museum wing hosting the works of the “Italo-Balinese” artist Emilio Ambron.

The initiative, which stems from a “Sisterhood” Pact established over a decade ago between the art city of Firenze and Klungkung, which will also take place in the context of the celebration of the Italian National Day, is articulated in a ceremony in the formal part inside the Kerta Ghosa compound foreseeing a traditional Balinese dance prior to the formalization of the restoration work that will be realized by the Kamasan artists, direct descendants of the painters who worked on the original ceilings, under Master Nyoman Mandra, with the cultural supervision from both Bali Purnati Foundation and Mrs. Idanna Pucci, who is a long time scholar of Balinese culture and of cross cultural heritage. The ceremony will be followed by “Horizon of Events”, a multimedia music and visual performance by “Sincronie” from Italy, focused on the International Year of Astronomy 2009 to be held in the adjacent space, the Bale Budaya. The celebrations will be concluded by a Wayang performance.
The event, which will be open to the Italian Community as well as Balinese authorities and citizens of Klungkung, will be filmed by Director Garin Nugroho, whose film Opera Jawa was presented at the Venice and London Festival and is widely recognized as a landmark of 21st century cinema. It will be shown in New York at the Licoln Center on August 15, 2009.
The Embassy of Italy, which is at the forefront of the dialogue between the two Countries and the two cultures (as testified by the Meeting of last March 4th in Roma with the attendance of the Indonesian Foreign Minister and all the relevant religious leaders and scholars from Indonesia), is confident of the appreciation that the Indonesian Authorities and public will give to the initiative.

Bali Animals

The enormous water-buffaloes, which in Bali appear in two colors, a dark muddy gray, and a pale, almost transparent pink, an albino variety are usually found in the river with their masters, small boys wearing only oversize sun-hats. A water-buffalo will not hesitate to attack a tiger; their ponderous calm and their gigantic horns are awe-inspiring to Europeans, who have been told that their odor infuriates the buffaloes. They have often charged white people for no apparent reason, although the smallest Balinese boy can manhandle the great beasts. They love to lie in the water and be scrubbed by their little guardians, who climb all over them and hang from their horns when they take them for their evening bath. The buffalo tolerates the children perhaps as a rhinoceros tolerates the birds that eat the ticks on its back.All Balinese domestic animal are rather extraordinary; chicken are wander freely and killed constantly by rushing automobiles, but their owner make no provision to keep them from the road. Pig which in Bali belong to monstrous variety that surely exist nowhere else was also used to wander freely in Balinese house compound but the ferocious health campaign in 1980s, put the Balinese pig in the pen. The Balinese pig, an untamed descendant of the wild hog, has an absurd sagging back and fat stomach that drags on the ground like a heavy bag suspended loosely from its bony hips and shoulders is now a rare species, can only be found in the the mountainous region of Karangasem.The roads are particularly filled with wandering dogs, the night-watcher of the island. Most dogs are attached to the house they protect and keep clean of garbage, but sometimes they reproduce unchecked and there are hundred of wandering dogs on the street of Bali especially in rural areas, they bark and wail all night in great choruses. The Balinese are not disturbed by them and sleep peacefully through the hideous noise. The curs are supposed to frighten away witches and evil spirits.Most of the materials for this writing are taken from Covarrubias’ The Island of Bali Popularity: 16% [?]