Uluwatu Temple in Bali

First official Day in Nusa Dua Bali. Putu our ever reliable driver, was up early to pick us up and to come with us as we wander around Bali.He told us simple stuffs that we needed to know so that we can blend in well with the Balinese people. When we all know that Indonesia is but one of the largest Muslim country in Asia, little do i know that Bali is practicing but a different religion, Hinduism. Putu fervently told us that it is best that every time we come to a place we need to observe first if slippers should be taken off or not. More so, there are sacred temples that would warrant nothing less than no people allowed at all.

We were really glad that Putu speaks medium English...some of the words are incomprehensible but most are...We need to bear with him for the next 6 days in Bali.

We are going to our first pit stop, its at the Pura Luhur which is a Balinese Sea Temple at Uluwatu on Bali. It was built in the 11th century. Probably one of the most spectacular temples sitting atop the cliffs overlooking the surf at Uluwatu. Luhur means “something of divine origin” while “Uluwatu” can be broken into “ulu” which means “land’s end” and “watu” means “rock” in the old language).

The place was so solemn, that upon entering we needed to wear a sarong and or a sash. We headed up a more than a mile trek to get close to the abyss. Midway, we encountered monkeys that would mingle and dangle off a tree just to pose for a picture with passersby. There were some who were friendly but a lot where really nasty. If they see anything hanging from your body they will snatch it away and never would you retrieve it again.

The view from a cliff at the Uluwatu Temple. The sound of the waves hitting the hard rock astride the cliff is a Serene manifestation of nature paying homage and respect to the Hindu Gods. Even the birds and the trees almost kneel as they pass by the temple edge. I am not specifically sure about this but only the tourist wandering around may not recognize the solemnity of nature and the sanctity of this place. We are a witness to this and we are a living testimony to it. We do stop and kneel down in silence but at the very most we squander around like crazy preschoolers to take advantage of the site. But yeah we dis it as discreetly as we can...


Another fantastic experiencewe had at the temple was the chance to witness the Kecak Dance ('kecak'meaning fire). Of all the many dances imbibed in every Balinese nature, The Kecak dance stands out as the most dramatic, scenic, historic and romantic of all. The dance depicted the story of the Ramayana. It beautifully elucidated the faithfulness of Rama to the rules of Dharma and the everlasting love he had for his wife Sita, amidst all the mishaps along the way. It is indeed a fact that from childhood, most Balinese learn the characters and incidents of these epics and they furnish the ideals and wisdom of common life. The epics help to bind together the many peoples practicing the belief in Hinduism, transcending caste, distance and language.

Day 1 in Bali is very fruitful. The place we ate at was even better. I will do the talk on my next blog.