Travel Guide Peliatan

Peliatan is a village famous for its legong. It is reached by car via the Raya Peliatan, which runs south from the traffic circle at the large statue at the eastern end of the Raya Ubud. On foot, take the peaceful Jalan Sukma from Raya Ubud, which still exudes a village atmosphere.Peliatan seems to have preceded Ubud in the race for royal power. According to the Babad Dalem Sukawati (a work tracing the history of the Sukawati dynasty), a dispute arose between two princes, I Dewa Agung Gedé and I Dewa Agung Made, who founded two competing royal courts. The former came from Blahbatu and the latter from Tegalalang. The latter decided to stay in Peliatan to be closer to his ancestral palace in Sukawati. His children then built the Ubud palace and paid tribute to their Peliatan cousins.Much later, Peliatan made world history by sending its legong troupe abroad for the first time in 1931 for the Paris World Fair. Led by Anak Agung Gedé Mandra, or Agung Kak, Peliatan has always maintained Bali's finest legong. They can be seen dancing in the Teges temple (Teges Kanginan), where the shadow of the great Made Gerindem never ceases to lurk. Several teachers, such as Gusti Biang Sengog, contributed to Peliatan's posterity. Until a few years ago, dancers from the World's Fair period could be seen with A. A Gedé Mandra, I Made Lebah and the old Anak Agung from Tampaksiring, dancer and sculptor. Peliatan boasts no fewer than 15 gamelan groups, including the famous Semar Pegulingan, which accompanies the legong.In 1987, the first women's gamelan was launched under the direction or tutelage of Mekar Sari. You can hear them every Sunday evening at the Teruna banjar at 7.30pm. But at the same banjar, you can hear the ultimate "Semar Pegulingan" accompanying the most beautiful legong every Friday evening at the same time. At the Teges Kawan banjar, you can follow the dance programs every Tuesday at 7.30pm.In 1982, with the help of Anak Agung Gedé Mandra, PANAS was created, a dance group that juxtaposed ancient and modern choreography.Here you'll find the famous Agung Rai Gallery, now a leading venue for painting exhibitions.