The Gianyar Regency

The Gianyar Regency was home to one of Bali’s oldest kingdoms, the Buddhist. Warmadewa dynasty of Bedulu-Pejeng and Batuan which reigned until the fourteenth century. The conquering Javanese established a court in Samprangan, which later moved east to Gelgel and Klungkung. This area’s prominence faded until the eighteenth century when the Klungkung ruling family founded Sukawati, a short-lived dynasty that fell with the emergence of the Gianyar kingdom. Rivals from Sukawati set up courts in Ketewel, Singapadu, Negara, Peliatan, Ubud and Teggallalang which fomented decades of warfare. The powerful Gelgel family of Blahbatuh rose during the nineteenth century.

Dutch assistance restored Gianyar, but not without gaining concessions from the king which spared it the fate of other South Balinese courts in the early ninetten hundreds. Gianyar is the district to which many a sun-struck tourist flee the heat of the coast, for it is in this district that the cool highland village of Ubud is located. Increasingly popular, Ubud-an artists enclave set among terraced rice fields, is an ideal base from which to explore the many attractions of the surrounding countryside.

Shopping
For visitors who enjoy hunting for tradisional handicrafts and art, Gianyar is a ‘must see’ on any visit to the island. This area boasts everything from stone carvings in Batubulan; silver works in Celuk; a huge souvenir market at Sukawati; Batuan’s fine paintings and masks; the carved wooden handicrafts of Mas, Kemenunh, Tengkulak and Pujung; the woven cloth of capital city Gianyar; Bona’s palm-leaf crafts and bamboo furniture; and Blahbatuh traditional musical instrument foundry. Read more....