Penglipuran Traditional Village - 5 Things You must Know!!

Penglipuran Village is located in Bangli District, Bangli Regency, which is about 50 kilometers from Denpasar City. According to local legend, this village has existed since hundreds of years ago, namely in the days of the Kingdom. Like a traditional village, the people of Penglipuran Village strongly hold firmly to the traditions of their ancestors, who are hundreds of years old. They also still apply two traditional laws in society, namely Awig-Awig and Drestha. The ability to maintain tradition makes Penglipuran Village so unique.

1. The cleanest village in the world

As one of the cleanest villages in the world, Penglipuran Traditional Village is very committe to maintaining the cleanliness and beauty of its environment. So garbage, noise, and air pollution are impossible to find in this village. To maintain cleanliness, the local community provides many trash cans. In addition, the village also applies some strict customary rules. One of them is the prohibition of using a motorcycle to keep the air quality clean.

Tourists who want to get around Penglipuran traditional Village must walk. Even so, you don’t seem to be tired or bored. Because, when entering the village, rows of green plants and colorful flowers will welcome you. The more it goes inside, the view of the village looks very beautiful. The air feels colder. Even if tired on the trip, you can relax for a moment in the traditional meeting house or Banjar in the middle of the settlement. It is not surprising that Penglipuran village became one of the cleanest villages in the world.

2. Spatial concept

Adopting the spatial concept of ancestral tradition in modernization, Penglipuran Traditional Village still maintains the traditions and noble values of its ancestors. One of them you can see in the village layout that adopts the concept of Tri Mandala. Tri Mandala is the division of land into three zones based on the value of chastity, sorted from the north as the holiest place to the south as the least sacred place.

According to the local people, the main zone of Mandala, or Utama Mandala, located in the north, is consider the place of the gods. Therefore, a place of worship only established in this area. One of them, Pura Penataran, is a place to worship God Brahma, who is the creator of the entire universe according to Hindu belief. Meanwhile, in the middle of the village, there is a Madya Mandala zone. This area serves as a residential area. Furthermore, the least sacred zone in the south is refer to as the Nista Mandala. This area is designate as a burial place.

3, Traditions

The Penglipuran Village community’s commitment to maintaining tradition is also seen in its dwellings. Most of the houses in the village are built with traditional concepts. This is evident from the use of bamboo as the main material of the building. Architecturally, the houses of residents in Penglipuran Village also look unique because they have a uniform pattern.

This uniformity you can see in the shape of the gate (Angkul-Angkul), the area of the building land, and the division of the room floor plan. Each house in Penglipuran Village has a bedroom, living room, kitchen, barn, and prayer place, or Merajan. The uniformity makes this village different from other traditional villages in Bali.

In addition to the village layout, the concept of Tri Mandala is also apply to people’s homes with almost the same provisions. The main part is only for places of worship; the middle is for daily activities; and the outside is use as a place to dry clothes.

4, Bamboo Forest

About 45 percent of the total area of Penglipuran Traditional Village is a bamboo forest area. According to local beliefs, bamboo forests are consider part of the history of Penglipuran Village. because local people preserve the forest. In addition to caring for the relics of ancestors, this preservation is to maintain a balance between humans and nature. Because the forest also serves as a water catchment area.

There are about 15 species of bamboo that grow in the bamboo forest of Penglipuran Village. Bamboo from this forest is also one of the best bamboos in Bali. The use of bamboo from the forest is mostly prefered to maintain temple buildings and houses.

5. Ritual traditions

Like other traditional villages in Bali, Penglipuran Village also has religious rituals that continue to carry out to this day. One of them, the Ngusaba ceremony, is usually hold to welcome Nyepi Day. This gift is a form of gratitude for the harvest. In addition, every 15 days, the people of Penglipuran Village will also come to Pura Penataran to pray.

This ritual continues to be held because it has been taught by elders and was inherited by the ancestors. Another interesting tradition that you can see in Penglipuran Village is the celebration of Galungan Day, which is celebrate every 210 days. However, keep in mind that you must follow the etiquette that applies when watching religious ceremonies to respect the locals.

Read here: Visit the Ancient Village of Tenganan – Another Alternative Vacation in Bali

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