Alas Kedaton

Have you heard about Alas Kedaton? (in english, alas=forest, kedaton=palace). Alas Kedaton  is a small forest which located in the middle of the rice field in Tabanan regency, west Bali. More precisely is located in Kukuh countryside, Marga Sub district, Tabanan Regency. The total size of this forest, temple and its supporter facility is about 12 ha. In this forest or alas, there is a temple which called as Alas Kedaton Temple and owns the natural environments that is looked green with its fresh air and create the calm, quite and holy atmosphere. The monkeys in Alas Kedaton are domesticated / very tame and free gallivanting in temple yard, so that the calm atmosphere is sometime solved by noise voice of the monkey, which are playing around and scrambling of food.

The monkeys who dwell in this forest, there are

jump up and down in temple wall, take a bath in moat or there is also hang out in few leaves representing impression view. The monkey like as custodian of temple, which are always ready to greet all visitor who are paying a visit to this place. Beside monkeys, in Kedaton forest also can be met the bats and some other animals. At least 24 types of grove plant have been identified in Alas Kedaton.

The journey go to this place can be done easily by using any kind of vehicle by just following the major roadway from Denpasar to Tabanan. On the way go to this tourist place, we will see the beautiful nature view where in front of us, that we will see the carpet of rice field and water irrigation voice at the side of road to bear the impression/peaceful atmosphere. Alas Kedaton Temple have three yard that are external yard, middle and center yard. In the center and middle yard are encircled by wall and the outside yard is representing a open yard. The interesting point of this temple is the inside yard representing holy yard, it’s situation lower than the middle yard. This thing is different compare with the general temples in Bali that are more goes to inside the temple, the more higher the place will be. Beside of that another interesting point of this temple owns four entrances.

The temple ceremony in alas Kedaton temple is carried out every 210 days a year. It is on Anggarakasih Medangsia (Balinese Hindu Calendar) or on every Tuesday where on that time the society do the worship or pray to request the safety and prosperity. The unique in this ceremony is do not use the fire and do not hence Penjor and also finished before the sunset or before the night is come.

In growth of handling of this tourist destination, Alas Kedaton has several become a training location about tourism nature, environmental handling and agro tourism. Alas Kedaton is many visited by the tourist from local and foreign countries which are generally a lot of paying a visit on August, December until January, while the local tourist generally pay a visit on holiday season and feast day of Ramadan (Moslem holiday) and this place is good to be visited in the day time. In front of Alas Kedaton temple there are quite a lot small shops selling the handicraft as souvenir, for example clothes, pants and other handicrafts. Others, there are some shops booth selling food and beverage, toilet and park area which is wide enough. So, what do you waiting for. Just visit and have a nice adventure.

~ ista lastu ~

Source : google, yahoo, altavista, wikipedia, national geography, etc