Beratan and Buyan Lake

Beratan Lake is a shallow lake with the high caldera about 1231m above sea level and it is located atBedugul, the famous tourist destinations in Bali.This lake have wide 3,8 km2 and also its deepness is up to 22 meters. The water volume in this lake is about 0,049 km3, so Beratan Lake is the closed lake. Tourist can access the Beratan Lake through the dock which have been provided or desist around Ulun Danu Beratan Temple. In this place, the visitor can do various activities like doing recreation to look around in dock or do the other outdoor activities. The various water recreation activities can also be conducted here, for example riding the boat motorize to circle the lake, canoeing with the traditional boat, banana boating, water skiing, and others. Fishing activities are also available in this places for who one love fishing in the lake.

Magnificent View

Beratan Lake is situated in the plateau area with cool atmosphere surround it. It is an ideal place for relaxation while enjoy the beautiful panorama of lake. The accommodations are also available in this area where is the perfect place for overnight stay, resting and enjoy the beautiful panoramic of lake with the Ulun Danu Temple as a magnificence. The small scale of agriculture activities are likely conducted around this lake and can be perceived at the same time circle around it. If we encircle it, we can take photograph with the beautiful background view or make the picture sketch face in painting mini studio at the lakeside with a short time as a souvenir.

Other Places of Interest in Bedugul

If the tourist paying a visit to the Beratan Lake, they also can visit other places of interest in Bedugul Tabanan Bali nearby like Bedugul Botanical Garden or Kebun Raya Eka Karya where the visitors can relax while enjoy the various of flora types,traditional Balinese houses and others. Candi Kuning Market is a Traditional Vegetable and Fruit Market located at Candi Kuning countryside which can be reached only in a few minutes from the lake. Various fruit type, vegetables and also mace can be bought here with many choices. It is not far from Ulun Danu Temple. Buyan Lake and Tamblingan Lake are the next places of interest existing near the Beratan Lake and it is just 3 minutes drive by car from this place. Beratan Lake can be reached easily from the main road from Denpasar to Bedugul and it takes about 2 hours from the town with the good road access. 

The Balinese’s Knowledge Day

Saraswati Ceremony.

On Saniscara Kliwon Watugunung (Balinese Calendar) The Balinese Hindus have a special day devoted to the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati. Saraswati is God’s manifestation of knowledge and wisdom.
She is depicted as a beautiful and gracious goddess, a personification of all knowledge, with four arms holding the following item; a chain symbolizing the ever lasting quality of knowledge, a “lontar” palm book symbolizing the source of accumulated knowledge, a lotus water lily as the symbol of beauty and purify and the “rebab” (Balinese violin) the symbol of science and culture. Saraswati ride a white swan which s the symbol of prudence. It is though prudence one’s knowledge can be used to distinguished good from bad. The swans struggle to keep floating on the swift unending current of passing time. Saraswati itself means flowing in Sanskrit which represents knowledge.
The Saraswati holiday’s believed as the day knowledge descends to earth and ever six months or so, according the Balinese lunar “wuku” calendar, Saraswati as the source of knowledge and guardian of all books and learning, is given a well-earned rest for one day and material is temporary made unavailable to mortals. On that holiday, Balinese refrain from reading and writing, for to do so, would show their ingratitude to the goddess.

Some students are praying on Saraswati Day

On the Saraswati day ceremonies will be held all over Bali, however Balinese people learn or work, using written materials. The celebration begins with a prayer requesting a blessing for peace and knowledge which has descended to the earth. Special offering called “Canang Saraswati” are made for all books, including “lontar “traditional palm leaf , the source of knowledge. The tool of knowledge will be blessed and showered with offering; not only the old holy “books” (written on along, thin, slabs of stiff lontar palm), but all other form of written material and this now include computers and typewriters with their built-in memory. Children have their school books blessed at home but may still make a trip to school to help organize the blessing of other written material kept at school. Libraries temporarily off laden books from shelves so the books can be blessed. Offices attend to their books in much the same way and people visit their temple as “the island of the Gods” says thank-you to the Saraswati.
The following day, the Balinese will have a self purification ceremony to enable them to receive the knowledge and wisdom from the goodness. Four days after Saraswati ceremonies, the Balinese will hold “Pagerwesi” which a continuation of the Saraswati ceremonies. This is hope that knowledge will make people aware of their duty of their fellow beings and that man will use science for improvement not destruction.

Although the ceremony is in the Balinese month of “Sasih”, on the day called “Watugunung”, it is always falls on the western Saturday. If you wish to see mass of offering being carried out by the Balinese on this special day, you can visit the Jagatnatha Temple in central Denpasar at about 09:00 a.m. Perhaps with the blessing of the goddess Saraswati, a little knowledge concerning this day can be bestowed upon you. We wish you a Happy Saraswati Day!