Tenganan Pegringsingan

Tenganan Pegringsingan :: Original Balinese Village :: Walled Village

Entrance to Tenganan Village

Geret Pandan

Original Village

Local People Works

Traditional House at Tenganan Village

Tenganan Pegringsingan

Tenganan Pegeringsingan is one of the most conservative village of the Bali Age "Original Balinese". This is a walled village. Within the bastions, all living compound are identical in plan and are arranged in rows on either side of the wide, stone-paved lines which run the length of the village. The people of Tenganan claim to have come originally from Bedahulu. The legend of how they acquired the land date from 14th century. The mighty King Dalem Bedahulu lost his favorite horse and send the villagers of his kingdom in all direction in search for it.

The man of Tenganan traveled east and found the corpse of the horse. When the king there after offered to reward them, they requested the land where the horse was found. All the area in which the carcass's of the dead horse could be smelt. The king sent an official with a keen sense of smell the partition the land. For days, the chief of Tenganan led the official through the hills, yet still the air was polluted with the odor of dead horse. At last the official decided this was enough land and departed. After he had left, the Bali Aga chief pulled from his clothing a very smelly remnant of the horse's flesh.

Tenganan is also well known for its Geringsing cloth or double ikat. Through an intricate process of weaving and dyeing, known only here, a single cloth takes five years to complete. Tenganan has many interesting traditions such as a ritual and art tradition especially Mekare-kare or Perang Pandan (the fight of Pandanus leaves) which takes place only once the year during a festival called Usaba Sambah, tradition of preserving and maintaining the environment, burial tradition, etc.