Preface

PREFACE

Sitting in the central of Bali Province, Bangli Regency is the only regency that has no beaches. Its neighboring regencies are Buleleng in the North, Klungkung and Karangasem in the East, Gianyar and Klungkung in the South, and its neighbors in the West are Badung and Gianyar.
Kintamani, which is recognized by world travelers for it Mount and Lake Batur, nestles in the nothern part of the island. In the meantime, in the southern part of the region lands of some 100 meters above sea level stretches, colored by beautiful rice field and other agricultural scenes.
Bangli regency covers a land of 520.81 square kilometers, has adminitratively 187 community groups (Banjars), 69 administrative villages and 4 district namely Bangli, Susut, Tembuku and Kintamani.
Bangli has a tropical climate therefore then it recognizes two seasons, namely rainy season from October to April and dry season from April to October. Temperatures are varied between one place and the other depending on altitude, with temperature-average of 28 degree celcius. Rainfall is at the average of 1500mm³ to 3000 mm³. More rain occurs at the western part of Bangli with humidity at the average of 79%. From December to February, the wind blow from the west to East while from June to August it blows from the East to Southeast.
Most people live from agriculture with rice as the staple food. The other crops are among others coconuts, beans, cassavas, coffee, tropical fruits like oranges, mangoes, "salaks", durians, bananas and many other. Nearly 95% of the population are Hindus who aim for peaceful and harmonius life based on Vedic teachings.
If you are strolling around in the town of Bangli, you will witness a three-storey-roof pagoda like old building equipped with the so-called "kulkul" (Balinese bell) made of woods of coconut trees aged around 100 years old. The building is called "Bale Kulkul", the legacy of Bangli's kings. In the third storey, two "kulkuls" are hung, called kulkul lanang (male) and kulkul wadon (female). The "kulkuls" are functioned to sign a war. They are also used during rituals in the royal family's kingdom, which remain to date. The people of Bangli decide to purify the "kulkuls" (considering them sacred), sounding them only during big ritual ceremonies. The building remains preserved by local people.