The Great Jatiluwih Rice Terrace
From everything Bali can offer you, beaches and sunsets may be the most well-known thing to do. But Bali is not always about beer on the beach and relaxing while waiting for sunset. In this small island, there are many things you can do from the beaches to the mountains. If you get bored with all typically Bali beaches things, you can just try to visit the rice terraces in Bali. Talking about rice terraces, Tegalalang Rice Terrace may be the most famous rice terrace in Bali, but if you are looking for the largest rice terrace that is included as the World Heritage by the UNESCO, you can go to Jatiluwih Rice Terrace.
Jatiluwih Rice Terrace is located 40 km away from Denpasar to Tabanan Regency. It takes around 1 hour to reach Jatiluwih Rice Terrace in Penebel District, Tabanan regency. Jatiluwih Rice Terrace is located 700 meters above the sea level makes Jatiluwih Rice Terrace has cooler temperature than the city. The total area of Jatiluwih Rice Terrace is 636 hectares, makes Jatiluwih Rice Terrace as the largest rice terrace in Bali. Like the other rice terraces in Bali, Jatiluwih Rice Terrace also uses the traditional irrigation system called Subak. Jatiluwih Rice Terrace also consist of some ancient temples, this combination of Jatiluwih Rice Terrace makes it announced as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2012.
Jatiluwih UNESCO Rice Terrace comes from the words “Jaton” means “amulet” and “Luwih” means “great or sacred”. Literally, the name Jatiluwih has the meaning "holy amulet" or "strong amulet". Jatiluwih UNESCO Rice Terrace has the folk story about the ancient mythical bird named Jatayu which was buried in the area of Jatiluwih Rice Terrace. Because of this, many of the priests came to visit to pray and showing gratitude. Time by time, the people started to build some temples around Jatiluwih UNESCO Rice Terrace to make it easier for them to pray. Some of the ancient temples you can find around Jatiluwih UNESCO Rice Terrace are Luhur Petali Temple, Luhur Bhujangga Waisnawa Temple, and Pura Rshi.
Visiting Jatiluwih Rice Terrace is not only about seeing the mesmerizing view of the rice terrace. If you are lucky, you can come to Jatiluwih Rice Terrace on planting season and join the local farmers to plan the paddies. The experience of planting the paddies in Jatiluwih Rice Terrace will never be forgotten. Since that Jatiluwih Rice Terrace has been a developed tourism destination, you can find many restaurants and resort around Jatiluwih Rice Terrace. It makes it easier for you if you want to enjoy the view of Jatiluwih Rice Terrace while you are having your lunch or waking up every morning.
