Penglipuran Village, Indonesia

Introduction to the Penglipuran Village

Penglipuran Village is one of the traditional villages located in Bangli Regency, Bali Province, Indonesia. This village is famous as one of the tourist destinations in Bali because of its society which still preserves its traditional culture in its daily lives.

The architecture of buildings and land processing still follows the concept of Tri Hita Karana, the philosophy of Balinese society regarding the balance of relations between God, humans, and their environment. The village also offers manicured gardens that line the single stone-paved street that runs through the center of the village toward the local temple, and age-old arched entrance gates and walls conceal each house.

The total area of this village reaches 112 hectares with an altitude of 500–600 meters above the sea and is located about 5 kilometers from Bangli City and 45 kilometers from Denpasar City. Temperatures vary from cool too (16-29 degrees) and average rainfall is around 2000 mm per year. The ground surface is considered flat with a height of 1–15 meters. Through the years, Penglipuran village has evolved into a community-based tourism destination.

In 1995, the community also received a Kalpataru award from the Indonesian Government for its efforts to protect the Bamboo Forest in their local ecosystem, ISTA (Indonesian Sustainable Tourism Award), and Sustainable Destination Top 100 version of the Green Destination Foundation.

Cultural information

Respecting their ancestors, the village still maintains traditional concepts and teachings. The concept, called Tri Hita Karana, is a philosophy of the Balinese Hindu that teaches about the harmony or balance between the relationship of God, humans, and the environment. Tri Hita Karana is also applied in the structure of the village itself through the concept of Tri Mandala. The layout of the village is divided into three parts: Parhyangan (sacred area), Pawongan (settlement area), and Palemahan (graveyard, farming area, etc). Moreover, Penglipuran village was also crowned as the 3rd cleanest village in the world!

There are three temples within Penglipuran village, they are Pura Penataran, Pura Dalem, and Pura Puseh. In the village, you can take a look at various interesting traditions. Some traditions you can witness at Penglipuran village include the annual Galungan day, which is celebrated every 210 days, the Ngusaba ritual, to celebrate the anniversary of the village, and the praying rituals held daily at the temples of the village. You can witness these ceremonies as long as you follow their etiquette to respect the locals and to avoid any inconveniences.