Gianyar regency stepping out in style<\/p>\n
Dewi Anggraeni, Contributor, Canberra<\/p>\n
Friends visiting eastern Bali have often asked me if Klungkung
\nis really the cultural and historical center of the island. This
\ncuriosity apparently has been ignited, and then further fueled,
\nby the many Balinese these friends meet who voice this opinion.<\/p>\n
It is a fact that if you hear something often enough,
\nespecially from different people, you will begin to believe it.
\nMaybe this is one reason why so many good things slip past
\nrelatively unnoticed when not enough fuss has been made about
\nthem.<\/p>\n
While visitors to Bali know Gianyar township because it is
\noften on the way to Ubud from the south or the east, they do not
\nnecessarily notice that it is bigger than Ubud -- Ubud being
\nwell-known as a center of art and culture on the island. And many
\nare unaware that the township is only the administrative center
\nof Gianyar Regency. The regency itself encompasses places equally
\nwell-known to visitors, such as Tampak Siring, Payangan, Celuk,
\nMas and Batubulan and of course, Ubud.<\/p>\n
In Bali guidebooks, Gianyar is hardly ever mentioned as a
\nregency, and is given mostly a couple of paragraphs or a column
\nat most.<\/p>\n
In this era of regional autonomy, it becomes the
\nresponsibility of each regency to promote itself. And Gianyar, a
\narea endowed with physical beauty and rich in potential, is now
\nstepping out and introducing itself to the rest of the world.
\nCollaborating with Yayasan Dharma Bhakti Astra, the regency is
\norganizing the Gianyar Festival at the Astra Gallery in Kemang,
\nSouth Jakarta from April 26 to April 30, to coincide with its
\n234th anniversary.<\/p>\n
Why however, have many visitors not come across good stories
\nof Gianyar like they have of neighboring Klungkung?<\/p>\n
A Balinese acquaintance offered me an interesting, and unusual
\nhistorical explanation.<\/p>\n
It seems, from what he said, that the Balinese are a little
\nashamed of Gianyar, because, in their eyes it is a particularly
\nunheroic place, a black spot on a map glorious with the history
\nof war.<\/p>\n
Most Balinese are proud of their culture of puputan, a code of
\nchivalry that required nobles to fight to the death and commit
\nsuicide if they were defeated or their reputation tarnished.<\/p>\n
The first modern puputan arguably took place in Mataram in
\n1894, when the then Lombok king, Agung Gede Ngurah Karangasem,
\nsurrendered to the Dutch. His nephew, Anak Agung Nengah, full of
\ngrief over his family's subjugation to a foreign power, died a
\nhero by bravely charging into enemy fire.<\/p>\n
Other acts of puputan documented and later copiously
\ndramatized, are the defiant suicides of the kings of Buleleng,
\nBadung and Klungkung. In Klungkung this puputan is immortalized
\nby what is left from the conflict of 1908: a door, a water
\npavilion and the Hall of Justice -- after the rest of the royal
\npalace was destroyed by the Dutch. These ruins further remind the
\nBalinese their of their bravery.<\/p>\n
In contrast to this bravery, the two regencies flanking
\nKlungkung; Gianyar and Karangasem; chose to surrender to the
\nDutch, and each of these kingdoms had earlier sought assistance
\nfrom the Dutch after having been considerably weakened by a
\nseries of wars with the kingdoms of Badung, Bangli and Klungkung.<\/p>\n
In a book commemorating the 233rd anniversary of Gianyar, it
\nis recorded that in 1900, after years of hardships brought on by
\ncontinuous wars, Ida I Dewa Gde Raka, then king of Gianyar,
\nrequested that the kingdom be incorporated into the Dutch
\nadministration, following the example of Karangasem, where life
\nhad returned to its original peace and prosperity.<\/p>\n
But while one reason the Balinese do not promote Gianyar may
\nbe pride, more than a century after its surrender to the Dutch
\nthe area has developed into a vibrant and prosperous regency.
\nPerhaps, many Balinese think it is so well-known it is not worth
\nmentioning. The region is burgeoning with art and crafts; Ubud
\nholds art festivals and literary seminars almost non-stop, while
\nCeluk and Mas have always been known as centers for gold and
\nsilver jewelry. Other cottage industries dot the regency, often
\nnow exporting successfuly to Europe and North America.<\/p>\n
With more sophisticated and focused promotion, the regency's
\nproducts will be more accessible to a wider public.<\/p>\n
During the five-day festival, sponsored by Femina and Dewi
\nmagazines, along with Astra Gallery, many of these qualities will
\nbe put on display for the public to see and savor. There will be
\nexhibitions displaying a range of styles of paintings from
\nclassical to modern Balinese art, a vast array of crafts covering
\nhouseware, glass-work, garments and lacework. Visitors and guests
\nwill be entertained by dance performances from Skaa Smara Ratih
\nof Ubud. On the fourth day, an exhibition of silver jewelry by
\nSuarti will be a special feature.<\/p>\n
The festival is expected to sell Gianyar as the heart of Bali,
\nwhich it hopes to be some day.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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