The Island' Wild West
Coast
Jembrana is the area of Bali least visited by tourists. This means
that tourist facilities are less developed here than elsewhere,
but it also means this is a great place to get off the beaten
tourist track. Visitors to Jembrana should not expect to sleep
in air-conditioned hotels with hot running water, or to converse
in English with every shopkeeper and waiter. It requires some
initiative to unearth the treasures, which the area has to offer,
but most visitors will find it well worth the effort.
Jembrana's main population centers are all found along the 71
kms of road that hug the southwestern coast. You can reach it
from Singaraja via the wild, dry forests of the north, or from
Denpasar by way of the vast rice fields and brilliant coastline
of Tabanan.
The ferry from Java berths at the town of Gilimanuk at Jembrana's
western tip. To the east, a mountain road winds down from an elevation
of 798 in at the Buleleng border to the town of Pekutatan on the
main coastal road. Traversing fragrant clove and vanilla plantations
that at one point pass the tangled aerial roots of a giant bunut
tree, this little-known road offers spectacular view across to
Java and is the most scenic way to enter Jembrana.
Three kms west of Pekutatan village, on the left coming from Denpasar,
is the entrance to Medewi Beach - a black sand beach with pounding
surf. This beach is one of the best-kept secrets in Bali.
Temple of the sacred hair
The most important temple in Jembrana is Pura Rambut Siwi, which
lies about 20 kms west of the Tabanan border by the village of
Yeh Embang. Its entrance is marked by a small shrine at the edge
of the road, where Balinese travelers stop briefly to pray for
safety in their journey. Two hundred meters from the main road
lay the main temple complex, perched on a cliff at the edge of
the ocean.
Pura Rambut Siwi is an important monument to the priest Danghyang
Nirartha, who came to Bali from Java during the decline the Majapahit
Kingdom in the hopes of for fortifying Balinese Hinduism against
the spread of Islam occurring elsewhere in the archipelago. Between
1546 and 1550 he traveled through the island teaching and unifying
the Hindu populace. According to legend, he stopped pray at a
village temple at Yeh Embang, and made a gift of his hair to the
temple. Since that time it has been known as Rambut Siwi, which
means "worship of the hair."
The complex consists of three temple enclosures in a setting of
great natural beauty. The first one you encounter as you enter
from the main road is the largest and most important, the Pura
Luhur where Danghyang Nirartha's hair is kept. A majestic candi
bentar or split gate on the southern wall of the inner courtyard
opens onto the cliff, offering dramatic views of the surf below.
Gnarled frangipani trees litter the ground with fragrant blossoms,
and incense burns at the feet of moss covered stone statues swathed
in white cloth.
From Pura Luhur you can walk east along the top of the cliff to
a winding stone stairway that descends to Pura Penataran, the
original temple where Danghyang Nirartha is believed to have prayed.
When the Balinese worship at Rambut Siwi they first enter this
temple.
Walking back westward along the beach, you’ll pass a small
shrine at the entrance to a cave in the cliff wall. This cave
is said to be the lair of mystical animals the duwe or holy beast
of the temple. A well at the mouth of the cave is a source of
holy water that is salt free despite its proximity to the ocean.
Just beyond the cave, another stairway leads back up to the temple.
Perched on the edge of the cliff here is the tiny Pura Melanting
where merchants stop to pray for prosperity.
A large open-air performance pavilion and two gazebos set amidst
lily ponds to the west of Pura Luhur are excellent places to rest
and enjoy a panorama of rice fields and white wave crests curling
against the black sand coastline as far as the eye can see.
Continuing west along the main road, another important temple
is situated along the coast southwest of Mendoyo. This is Pura
Gede Prancak, where Danghyang Nirartha is believed to have first
landed. A peaceful shrine of white stone here sits on the banks
of the placid Prancak River, which empties into the sea about
100 in south of the temple.
To reach it, turn left off the main road in Tegal cangkring, 8
kms west of Rambut Siwi and follow a narrow back road one and
a half kms to an intersection marked by a monument. Turn right
and continue west about 9 kms. The temple is on your right where
the road turns south along the Prancak River.
At the time of Danghyang Nirartha's arrival, this area was controlled
by the debauched ruler, Gusti Ngurah Rangsasa, who obliged the
newcomer to pray in his temple. When the holy priest complied,
the temple structures collapsed. Gusti Ngurah Rangsasa then fled
and the community rebuilt the temple in honor of Danghyang Nirartha
and his teachings.
|
