Ubud

Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali. The town is located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the island's central foothills in the Gianyar regency. One of Bali's major arts and culture centres, it has developed a large tourism industry.

History

8th century legend tells of a Javanese priest, Rsi Markendya, meditated at the confluence of two rivers (an auspicious site for Hindus) at the Ubud locality of Campuan. Here he founded the Gunung Lebah Temple on the valley floor, the site of which remains a pilgrim destination.[1]

The town was originally important as a source of medicinal herbs and plants; Ubud gets it name from the Balinese word ubad (medicine).[1]

In the late nineteenth century, Ubud became the seat of feudal lords who owed their allegiance to the king of Gianyar, at one time the most powerful of Bali's southern states. The lords were members of the satriya family of Sukawati, and were significant supporters of the village's increasingly renowned arts scene.[1]

Tourism on the island developed when Walter Spies came to Ubud, an ethnic German born in Russia who taught painting and music, and dabbled in dance. Spies and foreign painters Willem Hofker and Rudolf Bonnet entertained celibrities including Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Barbara Hutton, H.G. Wells and Vicki Baum. They brought in some of the greatest artists from all over Bali to teach and train the Balinese in arts, helping Ubud become the cultural centre of Bali. A new burst of creative energy came in the 1960's in the form of Dutch painter Arie Smit (1916-), developing The Young Artists Movement. There are many museums spread all over Ubud, including Museum Rudana.

The Bali tourist boom since the late 1960s as seen much development in the town, however, it remains a centre of artistic pursuit.[1]

Ubud has a population of about 8,000 people, but it is becoming difficult to distinguish the town itself from the villages that once surrounded it.

The main street is Jalan Raya Ubud, which runs east-west through the center of town. Two long roads, Jalan Monkey Forest and Jalan Hanoman, extend south from Raya Ubud. Puri Saren Agung is a large palace located at the intersection of Monkey Forest and Raya Ubud roads. The home of Tjokorde Gede Agung Sukawati (1910-1978), the last "king" of Ubud, his descendants currently live there and dance performances are held in its courtyard. It was also one of Ubud's first hotels, dating back to the 1930s.

The Ubud Monkey Forest is a small nature reserve located near the southern intersection of Jalan Monkey Forest and Jalan Hanoman. It houses a temple and over 200 long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) monkeys. About 5km to the west Ubud is the Ayung River and the village of Sayan, home to many upmarket hotels like the Four Seasons. Ubud is located at [show location on an interactive map] 8°31′12″S, 115°15′36″E

Tourism to Ubud has a focus on culture and nature. In contrast to main tourist area in southern Bali, Ubud has forests, a river, and cooler temperatures. A number of smaller "boutique" style hotels are located in and around Ubud, which commonly offer spa treatments by the foothills or treks up Ubud's mountains.