Villa Bali Site

Early Balinese ruler adopted certain imported religious and administrative practice from India that enhanced their status and power. An important belief was in God –King, a divine incarnation on earth who exercised spiritual and political power through a hierarchy of priest. The realm and its people would prosper only as long as the king conducted himself in accordance with divine law. Although India provide social, theological and political models, the Balinese modified these to suit their own needs while retaining many indigenous practices. Indian deities for instance existed along side the ancestral spirits. Balinese contacts with India and with others Indian influenced kingdoms in Southeast Asia were established by in 1st century, and Buddhist dynasty was ruling Bali by 7th century.

Archeological remains from this era include inscriptions in old Balinese script on stone copper, which reveal that shrine or temples were erected for various rulers. Statues many have been carved and bronzes cast to portray royalty or other important people ornament caves, bathing places and temples cut out of rock were constructed near rivers, springs, ravines and mountaintops, strongly indicating that these place were connected with ancient religious beliefs.

Javanese Influence

In AD 989, the Buddhist Balinese king Udayana married the Hindu Javanese princess Mahendradatta creating a geographic, political, and religious union. A Hindu-Buddhist fusion that incorporated the ancient cult of ancestral worship was adopted as the state religion. During this time, Kawi or old Javanese, replaced old Balinese as the language of inscriptions and court edicts, indicating a Javanisation of Balinese royalty.
The couple’s son, Airlangga, was born in AD 991, and he later married a princess from the Javanese kingdom of Sanjaya. When his father –in- law was murdered, Airlangga waged years of warfare to defeat his rivals and enemies on Java. He finally gained control and ruled the island for the next three decades, while his younger brother Anak Wungsu, was installed as regent of Bali. Airlangga divided his realm in Java among his sons and retired to become and ascestic, but after his death in 1049, the brothers fought a long civil war against each others to gain supremacy on the island. As Bali was involved in the struggle, it became in independent kingdom for the next 235 years until the short –lived east Javanese kingdom of Singosari invaded in 1284 to retake the island. However, in 1292 Kublai Khan attacked Singosari for refusing to pay tribute to China and insulting his envoy ; thus Balinese became independent once again.
In 1343 east Javanese kingdom of Majapahit sent its general Gajah Mada to Bali. The general was sent to quell the cruel king Bedulu. According to legend, one day, the God Siwawas so offended by the king ‘s audacity, that he caused the king’s severed head to fall into a stream and be washed away. The king’s minister replaced the king’s head with that of a pig he killed. The tale follows that king Bedulu decreed that no one should ever look at his face again. When general Gajah Mada, who was staying at the royal court, look up from his meal to gaze at the king’s head, Bedulu begcame so angry that he was consumed by the fires of his own rage.
In reality, Majapahit kingdom was defeated the Balinese forces and process and proceeded to govern through a series of puppet rulers. Javanese style court along with its culture were introduced to Bali. Life changed when Majapahit broke up the old village structures. The Hindu caste system was introduced; at the apex were brahmana high priests, followed by royal satria, and wesia or merchants. Most of the population was commoner sudra or jaba (out-siders).
When the Hindu Majapahit kingdom began to crumble in 1515 with the rise of the Islamic sultanates in Java. Reluctant to succumb, the priest, nobles, and artisans of Majapahit empire chose instead to move to Bali, strengthening the Hindu culture that had taken root there. The Balinese in turn molded the Majapahit influences to their own needs, reinventing the Balinese culture. Much today’s language, music, art and literature are derived from time.

Dutch Intrusion

At beginning of the 19th century, the Dutch were looking for ways to gain a foothold on Bali. Ash deposits from Tambora’s eruption created soil so fertile that Balinese able to export food to Singapore. But the Dutch were suspicious of Balinese dealings with the newly established British colony of Singapore. By the end of 1830, the Dutch were openly discussing trade, politics, plundering and slavery with the king –veiled by deceitful treaties of friendship and commerce that would ultimately lead to Dutch sovereignty on the island. The Dutch want to end the practice of plundering shipwrecks, which the Balinese regarded as gifts from the deity of the sea. The ship, cargo and everyone on board automatically become the property of the king who ruled the territory where the incident occurred.
Thus, when a Dutch frigate went aground off Kuta in 1841, the Balinese naturally plundered it. The Dutch tried to get Balinese to sign a treaty putting a stop to this but were rebuffed.
In 1846, the Dutch launch a punitive expedition against Buleleng in the north, but the Balinese put up strong resistance. A second expedition was sent in 1848, and Balinese again fought off the Dutch attack. During the third expedition in 1849, backed by heavily armed soldiers, the Dutch attacked the fortification at Jagaraja. Backed into corner, the Balinese decided the only honorable course of action was end it all in self-sacrifice. This was when the Dutch first witnessed a puputan, ritual suiced that traditionally signaled the end of kingdom.
Led by the king of Buleleng, nobles marched into gunfire, and or poison. Thousand of Balinese men and women died.
Although the Dutch now regarded them-self as holding sovereignty on the island, they did not interfere in the internal affairs of the kingdom of south and east Bali. However when Buleleng tried to rebel in 1853, the Dutch took more direct control.

Chinese Influence in Bali

A 6th century Chinese trade journal refer to an island call P’o-li (Poleng). The description seems to be of a large place than just Bali and may have included east Java. In AD 670, Chinese pilgrim-scholar on his way to India wrote about visiting a Buddhist country called Bali.

Although Chinese impact on Bali is not well documented in historical annals and is not obvious to the first –time visitor, Bali has distinct Chinese connection. During 11th century, a Balinese king married a Chinese princess of the Kang clan and converted to her to Buddhist. The couple named their kingdom Bali Kang or Balingkang. The Hindu gods supposedly made her childless, so she died of sorrow and became Batari Mandul, The Barren goodness. Batari Mandul’s stone image is enshrined at the temple of Pura Puncak Penulisan. The long-haired Kintamani dogs from here are said to be descended from her pet Chinese chows.
Princess Kang is worshipped by Balinese and Chinese as Ida Ayu Subandar, the devine Harbour Queen . She is the deity of trade as well as the patron goodness of merchants. Pura Besakih and Pura Ulun Danu Batur temples both have large shrines in her honors.
Barong, of which there are various kinds, is Balinese dance form usually performed by two men. The female figure in the pair of barong landing (tall protective spirits) wears a white mask with Chinese-like facial features –an image indentified by many as princess Kang. These masked mythological creatures animated by two dancers are also found in china and many other parts of Asia. In Bali more over, the Chinese-style lion called barong sae is just like traditional Chinese lion dancers in that it dances to sounds gongs, drums and cymbals during certain auspicious times of the year in front of houses, businesses and temples.

Balinese architecture also points to distinct Chinese style. Both Balinese and Chinese homes and temples are surrounded by walls, which are sometimes inlaid with Chinese porcelain plates or ceramic lattice tiles. Just inside the gate, an aling-aling(privacy wall) is constructed to prevent demon’s, who can only move straight, from entering. In both China and Bali, separate buildings with upward curving roof corners are arranged around an open central courtyard. A few Balinese textile patterns and woodcarving motifs are shared with the Chinese such as karang cina

(Chinese foliage) and karang sae (Chinese lion foliage).
Beyond the Chinese Buddhist temples in every major town, one need not look very far to find other vestiges of Chinese influence. Chinese copper alloy coins with centre holes are used in offerings and are strung together to create ritual objects. They are also used as sacred images of the Hindu deities of prosperity and fertility as well as for shrine hangings and effigies.
The Chinese romance of the butterfly lover was adapted long ago into Balinese as sampik-Engtai and used for dance dramas. Also, the Baris Cina is a Balinese warrior dance in which men dressed in Chinese attire perform martial arts with swords.

2 komentar

Villa Aliya

Villa Aliya was named after the lovely daughter of the villa’s owners. Designed as a holiday home for the family themselves, this 4-bedroom villa has an amazingly central location in Seminyak, tucked away in a discreet luxurious complex less than 300 metres from the beach. While Seminyak is known for its international restaurants, chic boutiques and glittering nightlife, Villa Aliya’s location on a dead-end road with no traffic, surrounded by expansive tropical landscaped gardens makes it an oasis of calm in the middle of Seminyak’s bustle. Staying at Villa Aliya means you never have to get into a car if you don’t want to – the beach, some of the best known restaurants in Bali, great shops and bars are all within walking distance. Given that the villa itself was created as a holiday home for the family, with all creature comforts and much tasteful attention to detail, you might never even want to venture far beyond it.

Generously laid out on over 600 sqm and two levels, Villa Aliya has a light, contemporary style rounded off by carefully selected Indonesian antiques and ethnic accent pieces providing local timbre.

The Villa has generous open living spaces flowing into each other that were designed to catch a breeze and allow you to enjoy the best of tropical living. The property features 4 air-conditioned bedrooms with modern en-suite bathrooms, a contemporary fitted kitchen with all appliances, two separate open dining areas, a large comfortable living room, a generous open lounge or bar area and a small office space.
A state of the art Bose sound system can be controlled remotely from the living room, the pool and the dining area. Wireless Internet is provided throughout the premises. A large beautifully landscaped garden doubles the property’s size and is ideal for private events or celebrations with children.

Jim Thompson, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Bahama fabrics were used to create a fresh blue and white colour scheme through out the ground floor, and a tasteful tropical green scheme on the second floor. They were combined with carefully selected Indonesian antiques, iconic designs such as McGuire Rattan sets and modern functional furniture pieces to create tasteful and comfortable living spaces.

Special attention was paid to making sure Villa Aliya is ‘kids friendly’ while at the same time allowing parents a maximum of privacy. The comfortable entertainment room that easily converts into a fourth bedroom provides children with their own space to be in while parents can relax in the bar area next door.

The pool area was designed to have no ‘dead corners’ and non-slipping finishes such as roughened granite floors and wooden patios around the pool provide additional safety.

Resin lamps used throughout much of the house not only provide a lovely warm light, but are safer than traditional glass lamps when it comes to being blown over by the wind or by children.
An environmentally friendly solar system provides hot water throughout the property, gray water from the house is recycled for use in the garden, and the pool is based on an ionized system that is not only good to the environment with its reduced need for chlorine but is great for your skin too.

Villa Aliya even has its own personally designed spa products, with a fresh and nurturing fragrance combining lemongrass, ginger and cucumber for Villa Aliya handwash and bodywash. Additional products from Republic of Soap’s green tea and lavender/oatmeal line make sure you feel pampered in every way during your stay.

Living room

A striking eye-catcher in the living room is the living back wall filled with ferns, stag horns and orchids.
This is a clever re-interpretation of an old Dutch room design where air slits close to the ceiling facilitate air flow through the room. The living wall provides a colourful green backdrop for comfortable oversized white Sunbrella sofas decorated with Ralph Lauren cushions in blue and white, and a beautiful McGuire rattan set. Old Balinese wooden house columns were converted into decorative standing lamps. The living room opens up to the pool and has a view of the dining pavilion on the other side.

Office

A separate room at the back was set up as a small office with a computer and printer and a high speed internet connection to make sure that you can stay in touch with the world if you want to. However wireless Internet is available throughout the premises should you wish to keep in touch on your laptop.

Kitchen

The large friendly kitchen continues the blue and white colour scheme created for the downstairs living areas in a modern interpretation of old Dutch colonial style, with replicas of old tiles adding the finishing touch.
Every cook will enjoy the well thought out layout and the state of the art appliances, including a generously sized fridge and a wine cooler.

Bedrooms

Villa Aliya has 4 air-conditioned bedrooms. The villa was designed so that two couples can comfortably share it at the same time; the two master bedrooms are both on the ground level and are of a similar general setup with generous en-suite bathrooms.
Each bedroom features Bose ipod speakers, a 32-inch flat screen TV, ceiling fans and generous wooden wardrobes or walking wardrobes with safety deposit boxes and plenty of storage space.
The first master bedroom has a view of the pool, a large water feature and the garden beyond. The centre of the room is a romantic antique four-poster king-sized bed wrapped in voile. The bedroom also includes a small desk area and a daybed.

The second master bedroom features an antique Javanese bed made of carved old teak wood that was turned into a tasteful headpiece for the king-sized bed. A reading area with a pair of old Javanese wicker chairs complete.
The room is located on the other side of the living area and the pool from the first master bedroom to maximize privacy.
The third bedroom is located upstairs and has two striking queen sized single beds made of old carved Madura benches. French doors lining the entire length of the room open onto a private balcony with a view of the pool, the landscaped gardens beyond and the outside dining area.

Entertainment Room / Fourth Bedroom

The fourth bedroom is a large lounge space that serves as an entertainment room during the day, with lots of colourful Jim Thompson cushions and mattresses for casual lounging and afternoon naps. The latest 50-inch flat screen TV and a Bose sound system provide high quality entertainment. A card table is also available for more hands-on fun.
Trundle beds built into the lounge area allow the room to be converted into a bedroom within moments; thereby making it especially suited for children. This room was conceived to provide children with their own safe, fun space – giving their parents a chance to relax on their holiday as well.

Bathrooms

All bathrooms were designed in a tasteful ‘beachy’ theme contrasting cream coloured granite with antique woods.
Bathrooms all feature two sinks, and the en-suite bathrooms to the 3 main bedrooms have large eggshell bathtubs in addition to open air showers. Antique Jepara wooden carvings from Java were used to create striking mirror frames.
The bathroom furniture was made from old recycled teak, thereby not only using beautifully aged hardwood but continuing the environmentally friendly theme of Villa Aliya.

Upstairs Lounge / Bar Area

Open on three sides to wonderful views of landscaped gardens and traditional Balinese thatched roofs, the upstairs Bar area almost always catches a breeze from the ocean.
Colourful prints of old drink advertisements decorate the back of the bar area, while comfortable sea grass bar stools invite hanging out at the bar.
Large day beds covered in bright Sunbrella and Tommy Bahama materials provide additional comfortable spaces to lounge. Beautifully hand crafted rattan fans hand enhance the feeling of tropical living.

A specially designed resin chandelier above the bar creates warm, intimate lighting, while a Bose sound system provides high quality musical entertainment. This room is guaranteed to become one of your favourite spaces in Villa Aliya.

Dining Areas

Villa Aliya has two dining areas. The first is a breakfast area made of large wooden benches and a solid table set between the kitchen and the living room. Colourful cushions and specially commissioned modern art completes this space’s fun and casual look.
The second dining space is located in a separate Balinese pavilion or Bale across the pool with 10 comfortable rattan chairs and a large wooden table. Old Balinese house columns were turned into tasteful standing lamps, and a Bose system provides discreet musical ambience. This area has a view of the pool, the main house and the garden.

Garden and Pool

At the centre of the grounds and thereby the house lies a large ionized lap pool of 14 x 4meters with a waterfall feature at the end.
Double sun lounges on the wooden deck alongside the pool are perfect for enjoying the sun with large frangipani trees providing shade.
A small raised Bale next to the dining area with a view of the garden serves as an additional resting space next to the pool and is ideal for getting a relaxing massage or afternoon reading.
The landscaped garden beyond the pool covers half the property and was designed by Anto Kusnanto. Its generous space is perfect for private functions or children having fun.

Services