Arts and Crafts
Renowned for its decorative and fanciful stonecarving, Batubulan has sculptures and bas-reliefs adorning temples, houses, yards, public buildings, hotels, restaurants, bridges, and crossroads all over the island. Visit the many shaded outdoor workshops along the main road where child artisans chip away at stone blocks to liberate the heroes, gods, demons, Buddhas, and curious beasts of Bali's rich syncretic mythology.
     Though a surprisingly soft carving medium, paras, gray volcanic stone or soapstone, is costly and cumbersome to ship. Thus, stone sculpture is seldom bought by tourists and therefore remains contained to the archipelago. Most of Batubulan's customers are Balinese who use standing statues as guardian figures for family shrines, courtyards, and doors. Semi-religious statuary also serves a civic function as guardians for government buildings.
     Don't miss the workshops of I Made Sura and I Made Leceg on the main road. Shops also carry a wide variety of other crafts, antiques, and furniture—chests, trunks, carved door frames, bamboo sofas with big pillows. For old topeng, wooden friezes, mirror frames, and other antiques, try Kadek's Antique Store. For woven textiles and batik, Galuh Artshop on the main road is the place. For quality arts and crafts from Bali and beyond, visit Satya in Banjar Tegeha, tel. (0361) 298032; also barong and kris dances at 0930 every morning.

Pura Puseh
The talent of the local stone sculptors grace the gate of Batubulan's Pura Puseh, only 175 meters east of the main road, where Hindu deities and mammoth elephants are next to statues of meditating bodhisattvas with Balinese facial features. Those familiar with Indo-Javanese art will instantly recall the well-known statue of Vishnu from Belahan, East Java, King Airlangga's portrait statue. The pura's gateway is even reminiscent of South Indian gateways. However, the sculptures aren't old but copies of statues in library books borrowed from the Archaeological Service. This temple is dedicated to the village founder, who is worshipped with the gods who own the ground. A particularly strong barong mask lives here; people say they can even hear it shuffling around in its guarded storage shrine now and then.

Performances
Except for the war years and Nyepi each year, dances have been held in this village almost continually since 1936. Batubulan's first dance troupe, Denjalan Barong, was established in 1970 and has performed the barong drama every morning since. The Puri Agung and Tegaltamu groups were formed in the 1980s. Altered and abbreviated for tourist consumption, these are basically recreational, popular, commercialized performances imbued with a certain languor born of playing day after day and year in year out. Nevertheless, they are vastly entertaining and always come as a surprise to the initiate. The clowns, monsters, monkeys, and pantomines are first-rate.
     Batubulan is the original home of the enthralling kecak monkey dance, created in 1928 by the painter Walter Spies for the German film director Baron von Plessen, who was producing the first feature film on Bali, The Isle of Demons (1931). The story goes that while the two were watching a performance of sanghyang dedari, one dancer spontaneously leapt onto the stage and assumed the baris posture. This gave Spies the idea of combining the chorus of the trance dance with the gestures of the formalized war dance. Spies even re-scored an original gamelan composition for that stunning film, causing him great disappointment when it was never used.
     Today, a total of four dance venues with rising rows of bamboo seats have been set up with almost continuous weekday performances. One airy theater is out in the rice fields—a really inspiring setting. Barong and kris dances are performed 0930 for busloads of domestic and foreign tourists. Rp5000 entrance. On another stage every Saturday night the tari kecak and sanghyang are performed. This is actually a medley of popular dances but features a kuda kepang firewalker and two tiny sanghyang dedari dancers.

Ketewel
South of Sukawati and 18 kilometers southeast of Gianyar, this is one of Bali's largest, fully cooperative villages, with 14 banjar and around 1,500 heads of household. As in many of these "Old Bali" villages on the slopes of Gunung Batur, the headman is also the spiritual leader, decides legal matters, and oversees the village temple (pura puseh). The village possesses a remarkable set of extremely sakti female masks that are used in an archaic form of the legong dance, the legong bededari, first conceptualized in the late 19th century by a priest of Ketewel who had seen two angels in a dream.
     The houses, temples, and public structures of Ketewel are fine examples of the slender, spare, and beautiful south Gianyar style of architecture, their stonemasons, woodcarvers, and gardeners being respected all over southern Bali. Sights include the handsome wantilan and the grand Pura Peyogaan Agung, whose scale and craftsmanship is equal to any of the island's state temples. Check out the inner courtyard during the biannual odalan when the ghostlike Ratu Dedari mask dance is staged.
     Also see Ketewel's Pura Beji holy water temple fed by a mountain spring, as are the communal baths. From Ketewel's T-junction, the road to the east leads to the beach at Pabean where purification ceremonies are held at sacred Pura Segara sea temple. On the same road, in the southern part of the village, is the cemetery and death temple with a view of the sea. From the same T-junction, the road to the south leads after two kilometers to Gumicik, a village with a nice beach.

Celuk
A gold- and silverworking center just beyond Batubulan, noted for its delicately detailed work and fine filigree-style silver pieces produced with the simplest of handtools. Wayan Kardana and Wayan Kawi have earned solid reputations as skilled artisans, but at least 1,700 silver- and goldsmiths out of perhaps 2,500 on the whole island live and work in the cottage industries of Celuk. A skill passed down from father to son.
     The classier showrooms are on the south side of town, where prices are usually given in U.S. dollars and credit cards accepted, practices that reveal who their clientele are. Tourists pull into these shops in buses usually between 1000 and 1130 (after the kris dance in Batubulan), inundate a shop owned by the brother-in-law of the bus driver, then just as suddenly as they came they're gone again in a cloud of dust. Avoid the shops during these hours as it's too difficult to haggle prices down to a realistic level. The display rooms claim fixed prices, but bargaining is usually acceptable—nay, necessary. Sample starting prices for original designs: earrings with red coral inset, Rp15,000-20,000; beaten silver necklaces, Rp30,000-40,000; large silver tray with embossing, Rp150,000; dragon bracelets, Rp60,000-125,000. The smaller silver workshops in the back of the village are cheaper. If heading toward Sukawati, turn down either of the small lanes on the left; just follow the tap-tapping of the small family compounds. These workshops are always willing to fill special orders and are quite capable of designing modern jewelry, particularly if you provide a prototype from which they can work. They also offer their own contemporary designs suited to European and American tastes. Some pieces combine silver and gold. Request to view the craftsmen, jewelers, and apprentices—numbering from one to 35—at work in the rear of the building.
     Semadi Gallery, Keraton Collection, Celuk Silver, and Widiartha Art Shop have reasonable prices, but it's difficult to recommend any one place because about 45 crafts shops line both sides of the street, each with thousands of chains, garnet-studded rings, armbands, earrings, earclips, hairpins, fancy butterfly brooches, pendants, pill boxes, coffee sets, trays, bowls, plus a wide variety of paintings, woodcarvings (Rp25,000 for a small ebony statue), masks, puppets, and no shortage of other souvenirs like statues, textiles, basketry. Expect to pay Rp230,000 for a painting you can buy in a small gallery in Ubud for Rp69,000. Bali Souvenir Artshop sells original articles—amber beads, bracelets—different from the usual tourist pap found in the other shops. Another unusual toko is Suardana Gold and Silver Jewelry, tel. (0361) 298011, run by I Ketut Suardana. The prices in these shops are better than Kuta or Denpasar.
     Stay in Dharma Samadhi Accommodations and Silversmith, only 200 meters from the main road. Don't plan to eat in Celuk; move on to Sukawati where the food is better and cheaper and where there's a large marketplace. Four kilometers west of Celuk is Tegaltamu (19 km southeast of Gianyar) where artisans from tender age to old carve stone images of gods and demons. Leaving Celuk east, but before reaching the concrete bridge alongside the old suspension bridge, take the smaller road to the right which runs through the villages of Guang and Ketewel. Guang is well known for its Garuda statues made of black ebony or brown sabo wood. A technical high school in this village trains students to sculpt and carve.

Singapadu
Only one and a half kilometers northwest of Celuk is Singapadu (from singha-padu meaning "two lions"). In the center of the village sits a huge banyan tree and a pura desa. Next to the temple is the main puri, home of an old ally of the ruler of Sukawati who together with his leige lord defeated the Kingdom of Mengwi in the 19th century.
     Singapadu today is known primarily for its consummate maskmakers, notably I Wayan Tangguh, Cokorda Raka Tisnu, I Wayan Teguh, Nyoman Juala, and I Wayan Tedun. Expect to spend from Rp75,000 to Rp150,000 for a mask at any of these masters' workshops, the price depending on the style and type of wood used (see "Maskmaking" under "Arts and Crafts" in the Introduction).
     Tedun's son, Made Hartawan, and Ketut Muja and Wayan Pugeg also do high-caliber work. They sell topeng at good prices, perfect for souvenir purchases. In Teguh's workshop is a big collection of all the principle characters in Balinese topeng theater, some of the finest specimens on the island. Barong masks are still made in Singapadu's palace. A conscientious silversmith is Cakra of Gala Silver in Banjar Seseh, tel./fax (0361) 298374.
     Singapadu is also renowned for its gong saron, an archaic and somber seven-tone gamelan played only at funerals. It's found only in Banjars Seseh and Apuan. Singapadu's sacred ensemble gamelan luang is a rare mixture of bronze and bamboo instruments.
     Gala Silver, Banjar Seseh Singapadu, tel. (0361) 298374, is a clean, well-organized silver business with better prices than most. The owner speaks excellent English, is willing to work on something unusual, and can ship. Singapadu is also noteworthy for its accomplished barong performers, in Banjar Sungguan, and arja singers and dancers.

History
Sukawati was a center of power and arts during the Dalem dynasty in the early part of the 18th century. Legend has it the town came under the spell of Ki Balian Batur, an evil sorcerer. In his attempts to defend the kingdom, the raja of Mengwi sought assistance from I Dewa Agung Anom, the son of Dewa Agung of Klungkung. Using powerful weapons from the court at Klungkung, they soundly defeated the wicked man. Ki Balian Batur's name lives on in the name of the nearby hamlet of Rangkan ("Place of the Evildoer").
     I Dewa Agung Anom set about establishing a kingdom along the lines of the grandiose Majapahit of East Java, bringing from Klungkung a whole company of high-bred dancers and musicians who entertained the raja on the lavish grounds and gardens of his palace. So sweet and intoxicating were the sounds of the gamelan wafting from the great gilded bale that the populace gave the palace the name sukahatine, meaning "my heart's delight," which eventually evolved into Sukawati.
     Although I Dewa Agung Anom's reign was long, who was to succeed him was eventually thrown into question. Tormented that his sons were ill-suited to rule, he declared that when he died whichever son dare take the corpse's tongue into his mouth would inherit the kingdom. Upon his death, the raja's body became so decomposed that none of his sons were willing to perform the repulsive task. However, when a close relative, the raja of Gianyar, stepped forward and took the hideous tongue into his mouth, the corpse immediately shrank to normal size and began to give off a pleasant aroma.
     Soon after, the disgraced heirs of the kingdom were defeated in war by the armies of Gianyar, and the palace was abandoned. But Sukawati's royal legacy explains why the village still sponsors preeminent dance and topeng troupes and is the home of famous tukang prada (makers of gold painted umbrellas and costumes) and tukang wadah (builders of cremation towers). Sukawati has also been credited with creating the modern form of legong, which features two prepubescent girls.

Temples
Sukawati's complex of temples is only rivaled by Besakih. Pura Penataran Agung in the center of Sukawati is sacred to members of the royal houses of the surrounding areas since it was the highest ranking. Destroyed in the 1917 quake, the temple has since been rebuilt to a smaller scale. Next door, in Pura Kawitan Dalem Sukawati, check out the panel carvings of Tantri fables. In the northeast part of town is Pura Desa with its huge candi bentar.

Dalang and Wayang Kulit
Sukawati's 25 or so dalang and their troupes regularly win the island's Grand Puppeteer title, because, it is said, of the potent taksu shrine in Sukawati's pura dale before which the shadow puppeteers appeal for power. On Bali, the status of dalang is almost equal to that of priests. The town's most renowned are I Wayang Nartha, I Wayan Wija, Ganjreng, and the brilliant gender wayang performer I Wayang Loceng, who is an expert in all aspects of shadow puppetry (pewayangan).
     Shops all over Bali sell souvenir-quality wayang kulit, but in Sukawati you can buy the real thing. Wija, the popular dalang who lives in Banjar Babakan has developed a theater based on the Tantri fables, having created an utterly original set of leather animal puppets. In this neighborhood's puppeteer workshops prices range Rp15,000 to Rp45,000 depending on the size, quality, and complexity of the carved, punched, and brightly painted wayang kulit, made from high-grade cow or buffalo hide.

Handicrafts
Ata baskets (called ato here) show the same detail and quality yet are offered at cheaper starting prices than in Tengenan, where they are supposedly made (shopowners here say, simply, that ata come from Karangasem). Kios Adi Putra, Jl. Raya Sukawati, on the north side of Pasar Sukawesi, has a wide selection of these extraordinarily durable baskets. Copot baskets from Lombok start at Rp9000. Also sold are large, attractively patterned lontar-palm baskets tinted with natural brown, black, and white dyes (Rp5000-15,000), which are used by market women to carry goods.
     Sukawati also produces woven bamboo baskets, bamboo bird cages, colorfully painted woodcarvings, miniature jukung (Rp3000), and ornate long-handled temple umbrellas. Sukawati is also the windchime-making capital of Bali.
     For first-class, fairly priced, custom-made gold- and silversmithing, visit I Nyoman Sadia at Jl. Sarsan Wayan Pugig 5, just off the main road in Banjar Babakan in the north end of town. Nyoman takes one or two weeks for delivery. At the bale banjar on the left side of the road, turn right down a steep hill, then east 200 meters down an unpaved road. His workshop is on the left.

Sukawati Art Market
Opposite the pasar is the two-story Art Market (also called Pasar Seni), a crowded warren's nest of stalls selling woodcarvings, textiles, clothes (attractive batik shirts for only Rp4000-6000), curios, paintings, stone statues, dance costumes, and temple accessories like gilded umbrellas and bamboo flutes. A lot of flimsy junk and cheap souvenirs, so when bargaining keep your sense of humor. The prices are already very good. To save money, art shop owners and hawkers from all over Bali come here to buy articles in their original state then finish them.

Vicinity of Sukawati
North of the market, after the police station, is a side road to the left that leads to Puaya, about one kilometer from the main road, a production center for wayang kulit made from hide, topeng masks, traditionally painted dance costumes and theater ornaments, and dolls made of old Chinese coins.
     A muddy but still satisfying walk in the rainy season is from Sukawati's 14-kilometers milestone, near the pasar. Take the dirt road east to Banjar Delod Pangkung, a traditional village of walled compounds and small thatched shrines. From here continue east to the village of Banjar Babakan, famous for its puppetmasters.
     East beyond the banjar the path leads through a cold, dark bamboo forest. Carry on over the bamboo bridge spanning the Tukad Palak River, over another bamboo bridge, then past bathing places, fields of alang-alang, peaceful subak temples, and a rice hulling station until you reach the amazing 20-meter-high Tegenungan Waterfall. After the hike, bathe in the public bath of Pura Musen, the river temple of the desa of Belangsinga. The path ends up in Belangsinga where you pick up the asphalt road to Blahbatu between Denpasar and Gianyar.
     Finally, there's an almost deserted beach, Purnama, only four kilometers off the main road, where no one will ask you where you come from or if you want to buy anything. Get there by either walking or hiring a ride on the back of a motorcycle (Rp3000 one-way). This beach has jet-black sand and is perfect for sunbathing.

History
Batuan's golden age was from the early 1600s to the early 1700s when the royal family of Gusti Ngurah Batulepang controlled most of southern Bali. Their power was eclipsed when a splinter court of the Klungkung royal family established themselves in nearby Sukawati in the early 1800s. All that remains of the Batulepang kingdom is a small temple honoring Gusti Batulepang on the site of his former palace. Because of royal patronage by Anak Agung Gede Oka (1860-1947), Batuan became a very active center for woodcarving and the fine arts in the early part of this century.

Drama and Gamelan Gambuh
Batuan is celebrated for its dancers. Students from around the world visit this village to learn baris and topeng in the homes of several topeng dance masters, namely I Made Jimat and I Ketut Kantor. Kantor is the son of the late dancemaster I Nyoman Kakul who excelled in performing the gambuh repertoire, arja operettas, as well as the masked wayang topeng.
     During Batuan's elaborate, colorful odalan celebrations, exquisitely poised old women perform the offering dance (mendet) and episodes from old Javanese stories in the courtyard of the village's main temple to the accompaniment of a superb gamelan ensemble, Bali's oldest extant orchestra. This stately gamelan consists of just a rebab, drums, and one-meter-long, ghostly sounding bamboo flutes.

Painting
Like the painters of Kamasan near Klungkung, Batuan artists had a long tradition of painting in the wayang-style until the 1930s when some of its artists came under the tutelage of Spies, Bonnet, and other influential Pita Maha members. Two brothers, I Patera and I Ngendon, were the first to adopt the principles of human anatomy taught by Bonnet and to introduce themes of daily life into their early black and white ink drawings. Dewa Ketut Baru was another accomplished practitioner of distinctive China-ink drawings.
     Batuan painters, many of them also dancers and musicians, developed a naive vitality using short, dynamic figures dotting their landscapes. Reds, browns, and blacks were the dominant colors used by these early painters. By contrast, Ubud's painters used tall and glamorous figures. The best paintings of the Batuan school of the 1930s are in the Puri Lukisan Museum of Ubud. That same attention to detail and magical atmosphere are retained in contemporary painting.
     The most important exponents of the Batuan style today are Ida Bagus Putu Gede (son of Ida Bagus Togog), Made Tubuh, and Wayan Rajin. The painter I Made Budi (b. 1932) is noted for his colorful and ribald depictions of past tourists. Budi's home is near the schoolhouse.

Galleries and Art Shops
Batuan is a good place to shop for patung (statuary) and carved wooden panels, doors, furniture, screens, and reliefs. Numerous shops line the highway. Also check out the masks of Dewa Cita, son of the celebrated maskmaker Dewa Putu Bebes, Dewa Mandra of Batuan, and Made Regug of Negara, a hamlet one kilometer east of Batuan.
     Owned by the family of I Patera and I Ngendon, Dewata Art, tel. (0361) 298426, displays a large selection of handwoven textiles, paintings, and woodcarvings. Coffee tables with fantastic erotic carvings sell for Rp9.2 million. The carving technique is demonstrated out front. Reasonable prices.
     Gelombang Gold and Silversmith on the main road employs 20 experienced gold and silversmiths. Good export-quality, uniquely designed jewelry at competitive prices, ranging from plain gold rings to intricate gold brooches set with precious stones. Also traditional Balinese style cutlery sets. Special orders accepted.
     The painter Dewa Ketut Rai, Banjar Tengah, practices a wide variety of styles. Dozens of young apprentices work in the courtyard outlining paintings. Their strong point are miniatures, very original and fine work, not the same old schlock of rice paddies and bare-breasted women. Pieces sell at widely differing prices. A valuable insight into Balinese painting as a business.

Gongmaker
About 500 meters north of Blahbatuh's main crossroads in Blahbatu Kaja, a small road leads east (turn at the balai banjar) to Banjar Babakan, about 150 meters down on the left. Ask for Kerajinan Gong Sidha Karya, the home and workplace of Bali's only surviving gongmaker, I Made Gabeleran, a world authority on bronze casting and Balinese instrument-making. Gongsmiths are held in high esteem on Bali, having formed a caste of their own. A must-see for lovers of gamelan, this pabrik gong is bigger than it looks, at least five rooms given over to the production of musical instruments. All kinds of Balinese musical instruments—gangsa, trompong, kendang drum, tiny bells—are forged here. In the rear of the factory, scenes from the Ramayana are ornately carved and then painted in red and gold on stands, frames, and cases of jackfruit wood made by local woodcarvers. These carvers are amazingly fast; two working from either end are able to carve a whole gangsa in a day.
     Metal components of the xylophone-like instruments are cast from a mixture of tin and copper. Using an ancient method, this alloy is then poured by squatting, bare-chested smiths into banana tree molds, which burst into flame as the metal sets. Casting is done every Saturday and Sunday to give student apprentices a chance to learn the technique, but on any day you might see a red-hot bronze disk taken from a roaring charcoal fire stoked by hand bellows and then hammered into a kempli gong on a hand-held anvil. Tuning the instruments to a pair of bamboo tuning forks is achieved by laboriously filing the metal. Each gamelan is tuned slightly differently so that the ensemble's unique character can emerge when played.
     This workshop's capacity is about five or six gamelan sets per year. A complete gong kebyar sells for around Rp25 million. Large gongs 75 cm round and weighing 205 kg cost Rp1.5 million, small (40 cm, 4 kg) gongs are Rp300,000, bell sets Rp150,000, kempur Rp800,000, rebab Rp200,000, cengceng Rp150,000, and xylophonic-like gangsa Rp550,000-800,000. You're welcome to sound the gongs.

Kutri
Opposite Blahbatuh's pura is the road leading straight to Kutri (five kilometers). About 400 meters south of the village is Pura Pedarman (or Pura Durga Kutri) the pura puseh of Kutri, lying at the bottom of the hill of Bukit Dharma. It was built in honor of King Airlangga's mother, Gunapriadarmapatni (Mahendradatta), a Javanese princess who married Udayana, a prince from the Warmadewa dynasty, at the end of the 10th century. She came to Bali to rule until her death in 1006. This royal widow-sorceress cursed and plagued her own son's kingdom. Scholars speculate that she is the historical origin of the witch-queen Rangda. Possibly the queen was cremated on this hill, her ashes then taken to Gunung Kawi where a tomb dedicated to her was carved out of the riverbank.
    In the temple's inner sanctum in the small, white shrine on the right are several statues of Durga. From the lower temple, climb the steep stone steps to the summit of Bukit Dharma through a forest of banyan trees gripping huge volcanic boulders. At the top is a sanctuary with an 11th-century stone frieze of Durga standing on a nandi (bull), possessed by a demon while she delivers the death-blow to the animal. Though well-worn, her face is still arresting. She carries all the trappings of almost unlimited supernatural power: javelin, shield, bow and arrow, winged conch shell, flaming sharp-edged disk (chakra), and flask containing amerta. With its fine classic Indian lines, this relief is considered one of the most finely wrought sculptures left from the early Pejeng Kingdom.
     Vicinity of Kutri: North of Kutri, Tegallinggah, a complex of unfinished hewn-rock cloisters, niches, pavilions, and candi that has the appearance of a mini Gunung Kawi was abandoned because of an earthquake or some other natural disaster. When it was discovered by Krijgsman in the 1920s, most of the facades and niches had already collapsed. Excavation and restoration began in the 1950s. You'll need a guide because the access is difficult. South of Kutri is the small village of Buruan, the home of well-known sculptors and dancers. In the banjar of Bangun Liman to the west, the pura desa, pura puseh, and the pura dalem have been built all in a row; usually these temples are in different locations in the village. Down on the riverbanks, to the west of Bangun Liman, troupes of wild monkeys live in a natural habitat.

Kemenuh
A major carving center about nine kilometers southwest of Gianyar, Kemenuh is known for its huge Garuda statues and other mythic figures up to three meters tall (either painted or unpainted). The so-called "driftwood carvings" of Kemenuh, if you can find them, are unique. Most of the carvings are done inside family compounds; the only advertisements are small signs on the compound gates. Visit Bali Budaya, Ida Bagus Marka, and Ida Bagus Komang Menaka, three spacious shops. A wide range of woodcarvings, from fine art to functional pieces, can also be seen at Gallery Marka in Br. Sumampan, P.O. Box 277, Denpasar 80001, tel. (0361) 235775, fax 87073. Over the years I.B. Marka has acquired the best work from the best artists. High prices. Also see the pura dalem of Kemenuh for its intricate and beautiful carvings.

Sakah
Heading west from Kemenuh, you'll see on the left just before reaching the Sakah crossroads a big ganggahan tree (similar to a waringan) supporting a sign directing the visitor to Pura Canggi, 500 meters from the Denpasar-Gianyar Highway. This 14th-century temple, in the shape of a meru, features curious inverted ornaments on its eaves, vase-shaped decorations resembling Chinese lanterns—an altogether peculiar Majapahit-period specimen. The Canggi gateway was only brought to the attention of the Archaeological Service in 1921. It's thought that prior to the great 1917 earthquake three gateways existed.      The extant one is located between the pura's first and second courtyards. Note the ram and bulls to each side of the entrance. The structure was restored in 1949-51; the shape of the gate's original roof is unknown. Near the gate are several ancient statues as well as yoni fragments. The villagers have added a second gateway (kori agung) in the modern style, which seems out of place.
     In the village of Sakah itself is a similar gateway, Pura Yeh Tiba, also guarded by stone animals (elephants in the back, bulls in front). The date carved in the gateway is depicted in pictures: candrasengkala, meaning "moon-eye bow and arrow elephant," or 1336. Sakah is where the road to Klungkung and Ubud branches; you make your connection here when taking a bemo farther east.
    The gigantic baby statue in the middle of the crossroads at Sakah is made from 45,000 kg of sandstone and represents the beginning of life.

Accommodations and Food
Stay in enormously pleasant Taman Harum Cottages, Box 216, Denpasar 80001, owned by the famous woodcarver Ida Bagus Tantra. Located behind the Tantra Gallery in the southern outskirts of Mas, this very high-level homestay costs US$45-50 (honeymoon suite US$75). Lots of great art in the large rooms; cultural programs are also offered. The only restaurant is Puri Rasa (Indonesian-Chinese food) down the street from the Puri Rasa Gallery, but you can eat noodle soup with meatballs (Rp1000) and rujak (Rp500) at any of the pedagang kaki lima. The warung sell small snacks for Rp100.

Woodcarving
One could say that modern Balinese woodcarving had its origins in Mas. Formerly, carvings were done only by priests for religious purposes and featured exclusively characters from the Mahabarata and Ramayana. During the 1930s, the themes became more realistic and commercialized, depicting such mundane subjects as animals, farmers, villages.
     Several old masters who made Balinese woodcarving famous throughout the world in the 1930s are still alive and working today in Mas. Their work is carried on by their families in traditional family compounds with carved doors and pillars, impeccably decorated and maintained, themelves fine examples of gorgeous Old Bali art and architecture.
     They carve everything in Mas—weeping Buddhas, fishermen, Vishnu and Garuda figures, rice goddesses, yogi, roosters, herons, deer, prancing horses, key rings, chess pieces, and fruit trees (pulusan). Most master carvers are in fact designers, who make the original model or motif which is then copied by a young team of apprentices. Pieces don't leave the studio without approval. Typically, Mas carvings are smooth, unpainted, and made of the high-quality wood, but carvers also shape gnarly driftwood and tree roots into lizards, turtles, tortoises, abstract faces, fishheads. If you can't find what you're looking for, ask to see the inventory in back. Look for detail: fingernails, toenails, fingers, muscle delineation, even hair. An artist signs and dates his important pieces. Telling the clerks you want to buy goods for export to America or Europe will drop prices. For the best prices, comb the workshops in the back lanes of Mas and not in the overpriced retail shops along the main road. One of the newest phenomena in modern maskmaking are the works of Garfield Pop Art and Cat and Masks off the main road. The largest and most expensive shops are on the edges of Mas, where big turnaround driveways accommodate tour buses carrying hundreds of tourists (commissions are paid to drivers and tour leaders). Prices are in U.S. dollars.
     Wiryati's Art and Handicraft Collection, tel. (0361) 975542, is a wholesale shop selling attractive painted statues of cats, tigers, and other animals quite cheaply. Individual pieces cost Rp3000-5000, while sets of three are Rp7500-15,000. Other artshops to visit are Ketut Roja's Siadja and Son and Adil Artshop featuring the works of Ida Bagus Taman.
     Ever since Ida Bagus Tilem (1936-1994) was chosen to represent Indonesia at the 1964 World's Fair in New York, his work has been sought by collectors worldwide. The internationally acclaimed artist seems to have inherited considerable talent from his father, Ida Bagus Njana (1912-1985), a great innovator of carving styles in the 1960s, some say the inventor of modern Balinese carving. Njana came up with the statues with elongated torsos. Both Tilem's and the work of his father are exhibited in a large, fashionable, multilevel, multiroom gallery/atelier in Mas. Open 0930-1730.
     To view this high-priced collection is to take in at one glance all aspects of traditional life on Bali—a lifetime of carving! In the back room is a very rare collection of old ivory, mostly from Sumatra, including an elaborately carved tusk, and wonderful old Balinese topeng (not for sale). In the downstairs courtyard is Tilem's collection of old Balinese religious carvings and statues.

Maskmaking
Some of Bali's most famous maskmakers work in home industries down the back lanes of Mas. You'll see the carvers' signs on the compound gates. Most produce wall hangings, not true masks. With some exceptions, the Balinese would seldom buy them for use in performances. Many of the more established maskmakers teach maskmaking for around Rp5000 per lesson. Each specializes in different kinds of masks. Prices range from Rp30,000 to Rp150,000, depending on size, color, and complexity. Better prices later in the day. I.B. Sutarja retails his masterpieces for Rp2.3 million but the masks by his 12 children are much cheaper.
     Ida Bagus Oka of Oka Travelyan Mask Makers carves faces and figures with African, Oceanic, Northwest American Indian motifs. The phantasmagoric, traditional masks of Ida Bagus Anom are in high demand by topeng players and pantomines all over Bali. Anom offers a three week east-west topeng dance mask workshop (about Rp10,000 per day) and gives lectures and demos to groups on the maskmaking process. Sadana, Anom's brother, carves surrealistic statuary and fantastical masks.
     Learning maskmaking from his grandfather from the age of six, I Wayan Muka (b. 1962), the head of Banjar Batan Ancak, is another original and skilled maskmaker with a sound reputation as a teacher. In his studio are two enormous masks, wide as a tree trunk, commissioned by President Suharto. These 1.5-meter-high masks took one and a half years to make. Ask for one of his very entertaining demos. His prices range Rp40,000-200,000. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Open 0800-1700, tel. (0361) 974530.