Balinese city, Indonesian
nation
Nation-building is also very much a Balinese concern. It is "Indonesia"
and "development" overtaking Bali. Denpasar is the center
from which the national language, Bahasa Indonesia, is spreading
to other parts of the island. One speaks Indonesian here interspersed
with Balinese words. Through Denpasar, Bali is surrendering its
most potent cultural force: its language.
Denpasar is also the breeding ground for a revamped traditional
culture. It is here that the concepts of Balinese Hinduism are
being re-Indianized by the Parisada Hindu Dharma (Religious Council
of Hinduism), beyond the maze of Bali's old lontars and oral traditions.
The Supreme God, Widhi, here assumes precedence, relegating the
ancestors to minor functions. New prayers are taught (Tri Sandhya)
and new government priests officiate, called from Denpasar to
the villages for the rites of officialdom and for inter-caste
rituals. Reversing the old village-based trend,
Denpasar is also home to the New Arts. New dances and music are
created and taught spreading into the villages from the city.
Last, but not least, Denpasar is the home of a new breed of Balinese.
Born to th sounds of a new music, raised in a world o new wishes
and desires, taught in the word of a new national language and
culture, the young of Denpasar are Jakarta-looking rather' than
Bali-oriented. Their thoughts take for in a world of Kuta discos
and lavish Sanur villas. They are the avant-gardes of a new Westernized
Indonesia. Resilience, renew and decadence - Denpasar will in
any case be the stage for a new Bali.
Denpasar sights
As a microcosm both of modern Bali and modern Indonesia, Denpasar
is easier to understand than to see. Nevertheless, it awaits the
intelligent traveler who wants to learn about the future as well
as the past, and who wishes to take home more than just a few
images. So forget your lens for awhile. Forget the traditional
village Bali; have a look at the new urban Bali.
In the very heart of Denpasar, just behind the main artery of
the city, Jalan Gajah Mada one can see many traditional compound
with their gates, shrines and pavilions, in among the multi-story
Chinese shop fronts Shrines dwarfed by parabolic TV antenna Gods
of the past versus gods of the future?
For a more typical look at Denpasar's villages, a drive through
the streets of the "villages" of Kedaton, Sumerta, and
particularly Kesiman will do. Kesiman has some of the best examples
of the simple, yet attractive Badung brick-style. Alas, dying
witness to a passing grandeur, the Badung brick-style is disappearing,
replaced by the new baroque of the Gianyar-style, and the ugliness
of reinforced concrete.
Of the temples, the most ancient is Pura Maospahit, right in the
middle of the city on the road to Tabanan. It dates back to the
Javanization of Bali in the 14th century. No less interesting,
although more recent, are the temples of the royal families: Pura
Kesiman with its beautiful split gate, Pura Satria and its lively
bird market, and Pura Nambang Badung near the princely compounds
of Pemecutan and Pemedilan.
A "modern" temple is also worth a visit the Pura Jagatnatha,
right on the central square of the city next to the museum. Built
as a "world" (Yagat) temple, its tallest building is
a big padmasana "lotus-throne" shrine that symbolizes
the world as the seat of ParamaSiwa, the "Supreme Siwa."
Modern Hindu intellectuals meet there for full-moon religious
readings - a barometer of Bali's new monotheism.
Among the palaces, the most typical is the Jero Kuta, which still
has all the functional structures of a traditional princely compound.
The Pemecutan Palace has been transformed into a hotel. The Kesiman
Palace, a Private mansion, houses the most elaborate family temple.
For a look at examples of traditional Balinese architecture, one
might visit the Bali Museum, right on Taman Puputan square. The
good, yet ill-presented collections are kept in buildings illustrative
of the Tabanan, Karangasern and Badung styles. |
