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TENGANAN |
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| Rejecting the Javanization of their land, the caste system and the
religious reforms that followed the Majapahit conquest of the island in
1343, the Bali Aga ("original Balinese") withdrew to their village
enclaves to live a life based around ritual and ceremony. The village of
TENGANAN , near Candi Dasa, is unique among the Bali Aga communities in
its strong adherence to traditional ways, and is the only place in
Indonesia that produces geringsing or double ikat, a ceremonial cloth in
brown, deep-red, blue-black and tan that can take five years to make.
Most of the complex round of daily rituals and ceremonies observed by
the villagers are not open to the public, but there are plenty of
festival days: the month-long Usaba Sambah (May/June) is one of the most
colourful. The road up to Tenganan is an easy walk from the centre of
Candi but, even so, ojeks (Rp1000) wait at the bottom to transport you
the 3km up to the village. Tenganan is a major stop on the tour-bus
circuit, but it's easy to avoid the 11am to 2pm rush if you're staying
in the area. |
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