Wolfgang's photos

Two young temple-goers from Sembung village in Mengwi province, Bali. Both visit the Tumpek uduh ceremony, where women and girls are waiting to offer their offerings and to be blessed by the lower Pemangku priest. Gung Wira son of Gek Suzan I already set him in different postings.

Canang Merake "Meraka" is made with the base using a flat and is similar to the daily offering the Canang Sari. Canang Merake is dedicated to pemaridan teacher after Hari Raya Galungan, when the gods return to heaven and for the gods to leave the gift of kadirghayusaan that is healthy life and longevity. Its the offering for a sacred ceremony that gives spiritual strength to be able to distinguish between life force coming from adharma and which budhi atma is the voice of truth (dharma). It also gives the ability to discern giant orientation (asura sampad) and orientation of God (god sampad). It must be realized that life is happy or emo life has the ability to master the giant orientation.

The day of silence has gone. Much work to do to clean the roads and side lanes. The besoms used for sweeping not for flying. After the Internet lock on the day of silence many sweet messages has to get answered, Moni, the girl on the right side, she has a lot to do.

This Ogoh Ogoh statue is a giant monster dolls made of light materials: Wood, bamboo, paper, and styrofoam. It shows a demon being burned inside the fire ring, but the statue itself will be burned after ceremony. The Balinese believe that bad spirits move into their monster craft works by making noise and playing instruments and can be banished by burning.

Mostly local visitors join the ceremony but also participants from other countries took part of this event such as Japan, Korea, Europe, America etc. In this culture parade is presented in so many forms those are from the sacral until contemporary traditional.

Lord Krishna always hold a flute since Lord Krishna sincerely loves everybody for eternity from his eternal heart… In simple words Lord Krishna through his flute makes us more & more aware of his deep consciousness(Bhagvad Gita)…Lord krishna flute always draws our mind to his deep consciousness…which makes us realise true eternal love…& eternal truth… The painting which I captured was a portrayal of Lord Krishna in the Garden of Taman Ayun, the holy temple complex in Mengwi on Bali.

Outside the famous temple complex Taman Ayun. The historic place in Mengwi on Bali is one of the first destinations for visitors and tourists. Taman Ayun literally translates as "beautiful garden" and is generally regarded as one of the most attractive temples of Bali. The Temple is situated in a beautiful park with trees and ponds.

Banyan trees (Ficus Elastica) and Pule trees (Alstonia Scholaris) are the sacred trees of Bali. This tree is located nearby the home of my host in Sukawati-Gianyar and it seems to be more than 850 years old. Due to the large size of the tree's canopy it provides useful shade in hot climates. The two schoolgirls underneath the tree enjoy this coolness in the shadow.

Babi Guling is more well-known as "Be Guling" in Bali. Actually, Be Guling can be made of other meats such as duck or chicken. Babi Guling is a kind of dish made of a whole suckling pig. It is cooked by taking out its whole bowel and stuffed the inside with spice paste and vegetables such as cassava leaf, then grilled and rolled over a charcoal made from dried coconut shells until it is well-done. Babi Guling was originally made as a ritual offering in Balinese traditional ceremonies as well as religious ceremonies. But nowadays, it can be found in many restaurants and certain hotels in Bali area.

I already posted a photo of this charming girls in an other site concerning the Nyepi festival in March 2011. The girls wating for the parade of Ogoh-Ogoh statues in Sanur on Bali.

Lake Bratan is known as the Lake of Holy Mountain due to the fertility of this area. Located 1200 m above sea level, it has a cold tropical climate. Every time I visit Bali this place is one of my first destination, its only 15 km away from my home in Sembung. The area is lying on the weather differs. That makes changing the weather condition from sunshine blue sky to heavy fog in minutes.

The dance ends with the final battle between Barong the lion and and Rangdathe witch, concluding with the victory of Barong over Rangda. Rangda runs away, the evil is defeated, and the celestial order is restored. Then this Legong dancing girl finish the performance and the show is closed. This photo was captured during my visit on Bali in 2001 with a CANON A-1 camera and a KODAK Ektachrome 50 ASA slidefilm. Scanned with a NIKON CoolScan V ED.

A souvenir made of wood carving. In Bali the Garuda has become a cultural symbol, the wooden statue and mask of Garuda is a popular artworks and souvenirs. The mystic Garuda bird is the image for most handicraft master pieces like this on the photo. Its a legendary bird or bird-like creature in Hindu religion. This photo was captured during my visit on Bali in 2001 with a CANON A-1 camera and a KODAK Ektachrome 50 ASA slidefilm. Scanned with a NIKON CoolScan V ED.

Two demons and the wild boar as servants of the witch named Rangda. Rangda, is the mother queen of all the evil spirits with an army of demons and evil witches who practice black magic at her disposal. She is depicted as an old woman, with long and unkempt hair, pendulous breasts and claws, and her face is traditionally portrayed with fanged teeth and a long, protruding tongue. This photo was captured during my visit on Bali in 2001 with a CANON A-1 camera and a KODAK Ektachrome 50 ASA slidefilm. Scanned with a NIKON CoolScan V ED.

Along the mainroad in Tabanan, a small province city on Bali island. When Galungan festival day approaches, beauty comes to Bali in the shape of the penjor, ornate bamboo poles that decorate the outside entrances of all Balinese compounds and the main roads, on their mountain facing (kaja) side. It is indeed highly impressive to drive through villages along a double row of swishing and swaying penjor that nod at us to stop

An ancient temple built with coral rocks almost unknown by the many tourists visiting Sanur beach. The door was closed but the view to inside gaveus an remarkable impression.

A wedding reception follows on the same day at the house of the groom. Guests come and go, with no restriction on visitation duration. Family, friends, colleagues, and other relatives can come anytime of the day till night and the newly wed are ready to receive the guests happily. The guests generally come wearing traditional attire and carrying traditional trays filled with sugar, rice, and coffee. These days, guests also arrive with some money in an envelope as gift for the newlywed.

The Pemangku priest is blessing all time on the day of the wedding ceremony. The couple looked stunning throughout the entire celebration, clad in traditional Balinese wedding attires. The bride was wrapped in vibrant prada garments, complete with a traditional headpiece made of real gold. "It weighed around 3 kilograms and she had to wear it for two days in a row. The priest was blessing all on the wedding ceremony the wedding couple first then every member and guest of the party.