A Glance About Nusa Penida Island Bali

Nusa Penida is an area in Klungkung Bali. Klungkung itself is the only district in Bali with an archipelago. Administratively, the island of Nusa Penida is located in an area called Kecamatan Nusa Penida. This area is very popular, not only in Indonesia but also worldwide, with its very stunning nature view. Nusa Penida offers many interesting spots for vacation. Thousands of tourists visit this island every day to see its exotic view and unique tradition. If you are now interested in visiting this beautiful island and so curious about it, hopefully, this article will give you insight.

Nusa Penida consists of three islands with occupants. There are Nusa Penida island, Lembongan Island, and Ceningan island. Nusa Penida island is the largest while Lembongan is the smallest. The total area of Nusa Penida has 210 kilometers or around 2/3 of the Klungkung mainland area. Meanwhile, there are also 16 service villages namely Batukandik, Batununggul, Batumadeg, Jungutbatu, Bungamekar, Klumpu, Kutampi Kaler, Kutampi, Lembongan, Pejukutan, Ped, Sakti, Suana, Sekartaji, Tanglad,  and Kampung Toyapakeh. Also, there are 46 traditional villages with their uniqueness and beauty. Nusa Penida not only offers beautiful nature but also stunning people and traditions.

On the island of Nusa Penida, there are also many Pura (Hindu places of worship) that you can find. It is a historical heritage from the past. Pura has an exotic design and structure which makes you amazed. There are several popular pura in Nusa Penida including Pura Goa Giri Putri, Pura Penataran Dalem Ped, Pura Puncak Mundi, pura Batu Medau, Pura Segara Kidul Guyangan, pura Krangkeng, pura Paluang, and many more. If you visit Nusa Penida, visiting at least one pura mentioned previously will give you a different experience. So make sure you don’t miss it.

Keep in mind as well that Pura in Nusa Penida was built for Hindu people in this area to pray, especially in the journey of tirta yarta. Moreover, today pura in Nusa Penida has become a very popular tourist destination that offers an amazing view from its architecture and natural vibe in its surroundings.

History of Nusa Penida

Visiting Nusa Penida for vacation is a great idea to do with all of your family members or loved ones. This area becomes so popular because it offers beauty and amazing traditions with history. Learn a glance about Nusa Penida’s history so you will love this place even more. Here is a glance at the amazing Nusa Penida history.

Nusa Penida is a unique place with a unique history. Based on an original story or bad spread among the citizens, Nusa Penida was a place to isolate prisoners from the Gelgel kingdom in Klungkung. In the past, Indonesia consisted of many kingdoms, but the largest one was Majapahit.

In Bali, there were also many kingdoms with their tradition and history. Gelgel is a kingdom located in Klungkung, Bali. In that era, Klungkung was under the power of the Majapahit kingdom.

Before the Majapahit invasion, Gelgel had controlled Lombok and Nusa Penida. The areas were claimed through the war between the Gelgel armies and Nusa Penida Armies. Nusa Penida was led by Ki Dalem Bungkut or also called Dalem Nusa.

Nusa Penida was attacked around the 14th or 15th century. King Gelgel, who was the king in Bali namely Dalem Waturenggong, instructed the army to send the armies to Nusa Penida. And then, Nusa Penida was successfully controlled by Gelgel. They made a deal to hand over the power of Nusa Penida to Gelgel. Also, they committed to always protecting Hindus People who lived in Bali. Based on history, it is also known that there was an agreement between Nusa Penida and Gelgel, in Which Ratu Gede Mecaling would punish people who did not obey their religion or ancestors. When Queen Gede Mecaling was on her duty, Kulkul (clapper) Pajenengan is still stored as the heritage of the Gelgel kingdom in Puri Klungkung.

If the clapper sounds, the people believe that it is a sign of danger that will occur in Klungkung. So the people use tridatu thread to distinguish people who obey and people who don’t. That is the reason why the tridatu thread is used today in Klungkung.

In the next history, there was a rebel in Gelgel in 1621 initiated by Dalem Bungkut. In that era, Dalem Dimade was the king of Gelgel. People in Nusa Penida were on the side of Dalem Bungkut and his messenger, I Gusti Ngurah Jelantik, together against the rebellion of Dalem Bungkut. History noted that Ki Dalem Bungkut oppressed the Nusa Penida people, and that’s the reason why they were against his rebellion under Gusti Jelantik's command. After they subverted Ki Dalem Bungkut, the peace in Nusa Penida can be restored.

Baris Jangkang Dance as National Heritage from Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida has much wealth in both historical and cultural. It is proven by the existence of special accents of Nusa Penida which makes it unique if compared with other areas in Bali. Also, you will be amazed by its traditional dancing and other cultural heritages.

Here are several unique and popular traditions and cultures in Nusa Penida that you must know: Nusa Penida has a very unique traditional dance called Baris Jangkang. Baris Jangkang dance has a particular meaning, in that it represents the evil who serves Ki Dalem Bungkut, the last king of Nusa Penida before being invaded by the Gelgel Kingdom. The evil was the servant of Dalem Bungkut when he was against the armies of Waturenggong, king of Gelgel.

In the Baris Jangkang dance, the dancers wear a traditional costume called kamben cepuk which originally comes from Nusa Penida. The costumes are completed with a long lance as the symbol of an evil weapon.

The dance starts with the coming of the clown who wears the mask. The clown describes the history of the war in the past. Then, several evil legions come onto the stage with the leaders, Dalem Bungkut and I Gede Mecaling. Dalem Bungkut and I Gede Mecaling dance with laughs and talk in satanic language.

Baris Jangkang Dance is a sacred dance full of meaning and history. That is why the dance was set as a Warisan Budaya Tak Benda Nasional (WBTB) by the Indonesian Government under the Ministry of Education and Culture. Baris Jangkang dance is also often performed in several important events such as in Pura Festival, Nusa Penida Festival, and Balinese Annual Festival.

Sometimes, people also tell a story in the Baris Jangkang dance which makes this performance even more amazing. Meanwhile, musical instruments used during the performance of Baris Jangkang are kempul, gamelan, dendeng, petuk, and simbal. Those are traditional musical instruments from Bali. For you who are so curious about the history of Nusa Penida, its beauty, and its exotic culture, just visit this place with your loved ones. Make sure to visit Nusa Penida at the right time, such as at the same time as the festival so you can enjoy many performances such as the Baris Jangkang dance.

Traveling to Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida is also called the blue paradise island. It has a certain reason because Nusa Penida has a beautiful blue underwater that will amaze everyone. Also, there are many exotic beauties of nature it offers to you.

You can have a different experience of vacation by visiting Nusa Penida, not only to enjoy its beauty but can experience its spiritual journey. Several tourist destinations in Nusa Penida you can visit are;

  1. Klingking Beach, Broken Beach, Angel Billabong at Bungamekar Village;
  2. Atuh , Diamond Beach, Rumah Pohon at Pejukutan Village;
  3. Crystal bay at Sakti Village;
  4. Devil Tear’s, Jembatan Kuning at  Lembongan Village
  5. Mangrove Forest at Jungutbatu Village;
  6. And many more

Are you interested in visiting Nusa Penida? Make an itinerary soon.

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