Famous for its beaches and a booming tourist destination , Bali has many culturally important places to visit while here. One of the famous stops for many tourist is the Monkey forest , which is a nature reserve as well as a sacred Hindu temple premises.
Among the best places to see in Bali the Bali International Convention Centre also takes a prominent place. The center hosts many international conferences as well as local performances through out the year and features 26 meeting rooms and is a spacious and tastefully designed premises.
The monkey forest lies within the village of Padangtegal, the villagers view the sanctuary as spiritual ,educational, economic center as well as a conservation center for the village. The Ubud Monkey Forest was set up as a conservation mission , following Hindu principles of “Tri Hata Karana.” which preaches people to live harmoniously during their lives. One of the harmonies to be attained is the harmony between humans and the living environment.
The sanctuary covers less than a square kilometer of forest and contains 115 species of trees. The park is heavy covered with greenery and is quite hilly. The premises also has a forest conservation area , a public hall and gallery an open stage. Also in the park there are three different Hindu Temples , one being the Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal which is the main temple in the premises and is dedicated to lord Shiva. The pura Beji is another temple found in the premises and is dedicated to worshiping the goddess Ganga believed to cleanse impurities. The Pura Prajapati which is the final temple and the cemetry adjacent to the temple receives bodies of the deceased for temporary burial before mass cremation held every five years.
And the most important part of the park the monkeys ,there are five different groups of them that occupy different territories within the park and staff at the park feed them thrice daily, however visitors are advised not to feed the monkeys within the park.
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.
