Bali: Temples, Rituals, Offerings & such...

while doing my research online for things to be aware of when in bali ,to which i came across lots of articles & write ups about there are always a festival of something somewhere, everywhere, anywhere...which i /we failed to observe until the very last day while leaving for the airport (Warghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!)

these pics were taken from the van...:'((

but yes one has to watch where they're going cos the Balinese leave their offering (sesajen) anywhere~ found in every  house, work place, restaurant, souvenir stall,  airport check-in desk....well u get the idea, practically everywhere..so u'll go 'oops!' here & 'oops' there all the time.;)

These leaf trays are made daily and can contain an enormous range offering items: flowers, glutinous rice, cookies, salt and even cigarettes and coffee!. They are set out with burning incense sticks and sprinkled with holy water no less then three times a day, before every meal.

sasajen found at & around the beach...

at the roadside...

at the petrol stand...(yeah they sell petrol in bottles at the roadsides!)

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 penjor is a common sight everywhere around Bali

a penjor is basically a long tapered bamboo pole that is stood vertically in the ground, often on the roadside, and decorated in coconut leaves. due to their length of sometimes more than ten metres, they droop  over the pavement like an ancient street lamp.
Balinese Hindus erect a penjor in front of their houses to symbolize the dominance of good over evil, as well as offering to thank God for the fruits of the earth ( more or less like thier version of thanksgiving). about halfway down the pole they attach a small cage in the shape of a triangle and made from bamboo, called sanggah cucuk. offerings are placed in this and it is considered to be a temporary throne for the Gods when they come down to Earth for Galungan. this is basically  to symbolize that it is a holy offering...acording to jhasa the other tour guide.
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on temples...
Bali is well  known as the land of  Gods or Temples, just like in Malaysia, there are lots of masjids,  suraus,  kuils & tokongs. temples and /or shrines are the most ubiquitous architecture in Bali. every house has its own little shrine, usually a dedication to their ancestors.
here are some of the shrines pics that i manged to snappy snap-snap...

and here are the temples....

Batu Bolong Temple in Tanah Lot

@Temple Batu Bolong

just on the opposite side of Temple Batu Bolong (that little island behind of us) is Tanah Lot Temple.it is located separately from the mainland, but still within reach during low tide without having to use the boat. This temple is one of the main temples in Bali. during high tide, the temple looks afloat on the sea water.

the warning sign~ basically to say beware of the cheeky funky monkeys! 

but the monkeys were exceptionally in their best behaviour that day!

to visit Uluwatu ( err...i once thought Uluwatu is a name of a place somewhere in africa....;P') temple, one must dress appropriately...by appropriate, it simply means one cannot expose one's knees....for those wearing shorts..they provide sarongs to cover up like the pic above.

 

although i did bring my own sarong, Dhana the tour guide said i only needed to put the sash around my waist...hmmm... i guess  to the balinese, the knees are a lot sexier then the boobies...so i did dress appropriately then...hehehe ;P

 

the temple is the one with the 3 tier roofs at the top of the hill...didn't go there cos we were just too lazy to walk up the stairs...so we only appreciate it from afar....;P

Dhana the tour guide kept asking us to post for the scenery, being a good sport,  we obliged...;P

till the next post....taa!