Tabanan Regency covered with mountains in the north, lush paddy fields in the south and coastal sandy beaches, Tabanan lies between the district of Badung in the east, Buleleng in the north and Jembrana in the west. The main attraction in Tabanan is Tanah Lot, a famous seaside temple, though many black sand beaches are also being developed for tourism. Situated near the town of Kediri, Tanah Lot is unquestionably the most famous temple in Bali. Consisting of two seven tiered and three tiered shrines and two pavilions, the temple is set attop an outcrop of rock jutting into the sea, and is accessible only during low tide. According to legend, as the famous priest Nirartha breathed his last; he suggested to the locals that the tiny island would be an excellent place to build a temple. "Tanah" means earth, and "Lot" means sea. The temple therefore symbolized the meeting point of natural and cosmic elements.
As a place for viewing spectacular sunsets in Asia, Tanah Lot has few equals. Every day at dusk tourists flood the area to witness the wonderful silhouette of the temple against the glowing horizon. The best view is from the cliff overlooking the temple.
Capital - Tabanan
Highest Peak - Mt. Batukau - 2'276 metres above sea level
Location: South-western Bali
Important phone numbers:
Direct Enquiries - 108
Tabanan Tourist Office Tlp: 811602
(Address - Jl. Gunung Agung, Tabanan.)
History :
Founded in the 14th century Tabanan had a mixed history with numerous conflicts, mainly with the neighboring kingdom of Mengwi. By the end of the 1700's Tabanan had managed to claim part of the Mengwi kingdom however lost it back to the Mengwi Royal household by the mid 1800's. By 1906 the Dutch having conquered Tabanan, imprisoned the king and his son.
Tabanan - District Capital of Tabanan - Located on the south eastern part of the Regency. A very large, clean town with wide-open streets. The Subak Museum dedicated to rice cultivation, and the Gedong Marya theatre, dedicated to the famous dancer Mario, are the only real tourist sites in Tabanan, however the rest of this fertile region has many diverse attractions.
Alas Kedaton Temple - Near the village of Kukuh, an ancient temple is located in this12 hectare forest that houses both monkeys and large bats.
Abiantuwung - This village stages many dance performances, both old and new. It is also boasted the Whrahatnala School of Dance, which has now sadly shut down.
Batukaru - With the highest peak at 2'276 metres above sea level, this volcanic massif has three small nature reserves on and around the three smallest peaks, Lesung, Tapak and Pohen.
Bratan Lake - Japanese caves on the west shore and a pleasure park on the southern shore of the lake and the cool mountain air make this a pleasant place to spend a day. Various water sports are available at the pleasure-park.
Botanical Gardens - Raya Eka Karya Gardens - With a land area of 129.2 hectares the Botanical Gardens maintains up to 650 species of tree and approximately 450 species of orchid.
Bedugul - A cool, mountain, market town that supplies much of the fruit, vegetables and flowers that Bali consumes. One thousand five hundred metres above sea level, Bedugul is on the shores of Lake Bratan, the crater-lake of Mt. Bratan
Jatiluwih - Famous for the view over endless rice terraces stretching as far as the eye can see. Here, at 850 metres above sea level, temperatures are cooler.
Kediri - A small village near Tabanan that stages an interesting cattle market every three days.
