Kalibukbuk: 17th century Buddhist site in Bali

Kalibukbuk: 17th century Buddhist site in Bali

Alit Kertarahardja, Contributor/Singaraja

Buleleng is located in an open area in the northern part of Bali. It has a flat beach with gentle waves, making it easily accessible to people from other places.

Among those who came to Buleleng a long time ago were Buddhist missionaries.

Kalibukbuk, a Buddhist site located in Buleleng district, is evidence that Buddhism was brought to Bali in the 17th century.

Among the items of archeological interest connected with Buddhism in Kalibukbuk are artifacts and ruins. The artifacts consist of stupa, fragments of pottery, clay molds and reliefs. The ruins are of brick buildings that were used for religious activities.

North Bali Cultural Studies Center director IGK Simba said that the influence of Buddhism in Bali became clear following the finding of a number of molds made from clay, which were of similar shape and character to those found in Kalibukbuk.

"Given these finds, it may be concluded that Buddhists lived in Kalibukbuk from the 17th century," he said.

The cultural development process continued in tandem with an increase in the population of the area. More sacred buildings were constructed for holding religious ceremonies. The buildings used bricks measuring 10 cm by 20 cm by 40 cm -- like the buildings constructed during the golden era of the Majapahit kingdom between the 14th and 15th centuries.

There are three sites of archeological interest in this area. The first was discovered in 1991 in Angsoka, where stupa, molds and clay reliefs of the Buddha were found. The second site is located on a plantation owned by I Gusti Ngutah Sentanu. Three brick buildings used for Buddhist religious worship and a number of clay stupa were found. At the third location, fragments of pottery were discovered. However, the finds have yet to be thoroughly studied.

Based on the finds, it is believed that the people used to live where the pottery fragments were found while the location where the stupa was found was the center of their religious activities.

The design of the buildings and the stupa was based on the concept of Buddha Tri Ratna, which involves the elements of Buddha, Dharma and Sangga. In Tri Ratna teaching, Buddha is the holiest one who must be followed in life in order to get to nirvana, Dharma means the teachings that should be obeyed to arrive at nirvana, while Sangga means the implementation of these teachings by the Buddhist community.