Tabanan encompasses a broad range
of landscapes - from the lofty peaks in the north, including Mt
Batukau and part of Mt Bratan with its dramatic volcanic lake,
to the verdant rice plains in the south. Beautiful black sand
beaches between Pasut and Klatingdukuh are now being developed
for tourism, but apart from the famous seaside temple of Tanah
Lot, this is not yet a tourist area.
Many rivers run north to south from the mountains to the sea.
Many roads follow their courses, with only a few running east
to west. The main highway from Java passes through the gently
sloping southern part of Tabanan along the coast. This has turned
Tabanan Town into a thriving commercial center.
A steep, winding road leading across to Singaraja on the north
coast passes from Beringkit (in Badung) via Perean, Bedugul, Candi
Kuning and Baturiti. The mountainous area around Bedugul is cool,
misty and rainy. Vegetables, such as carrots, cauliflower, cabbage
and maize, as well as many fruits (including apples and even strawberries)
grow well here and are sold at the market in Bedugul. It is traditional
for travelers to stop here and enjoy the cool mountain air before
continuing on their journey.
The fast-flowing rivers have cut steep ravines into soft volcanic
rocks overgrown with giant ferns (pakis). There are huge boulders
in the riverbeds and spectacular waterfalls. The mountain area
around Apuan offers fine views. Here one looks down upon innumerable
terraces with small rice plots, surrounded by jagged dikes and
tiny canals with gurgling water.
There are some archaeological remains in the north. A temple in
Perean and a makara spout in Candi Kuning date from the first
half of the 14th century (1334 and 1339 respectively). Copperplate
inscriptions were found in the south in Kediri and Pandak Bandung
(1071).
The Balinese believe that the descendants of Arya Kenceng and
Arya Belog, who accompanied Patih Gajah Mada during his tour of
Bali in the 14th century, settled in Badung and Tabanan. The Tabanan
branch of Arya Kenceng's line begins with Arya Tabanan, who lived
with 4000 men in the village of Buahan (on the road to Apuan).
Arya Belog lived in Kaba-Kaba with 5000 men.
After some time a new and powerful group of descendants of Arya
Tabanan settled in the village of Tabanan, which was then called
Singasana. They expanded their territory to the northeast (Perean,
Pacung) and northwest (Pupuan). In the course of the 18th or at
the beginning of the 19th century, a branch of the Tabanan family
settled in Krambitan. From the foundation of the realm of Mengwi
around 1700 onwards, there were conflicts and battles with Tabanan.
KabaKaba became an ally of Mengwi, but never warred with Tabanan.
Soon after the defeat of Mengwi in 1891 by the combined forces
of Klungkung, Badung, Tabanan and Bangli, the Dutch began to expand
their influence in south and east Bali by intervening in conflicts
between the various rulers. This resulted in military annexations.
A conflict between Badung and the Dutch over salvage rights for
shipwrecks ended in a military expedition, and in September, 1906
Badung fell. The ruler of Tabanan wanted to negotiate with the
Dutch. However, he and his son were captured and put in jail,
where they committed suicide.
The Dutch soon reorganized Bali into seven sub-departments, with
Tabanan as one. In 1929, Bali was redivided into eight realms,
ruled by regents chosen from the old royal families. These received
the status of "kings" in 1938, but this was only to
last a few years. Indonesian independence from Dutch rule brought
an end to the active role of royalty.
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