Jembrana Regency

Jembrana Regency is a regency (kabupaten) in the southwest of Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 841.8 km2 and had a population of 261,638 at the 2010 Census and 317,064 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 327,850. Its regency seat is the town of Negara.

The neighbouring regencies are Buleleng Regency to the north and Tabanan Regency to the west.

Administrative districts
The Regency is divided into five districts (kecamatan), listed below from west to east with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2022. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 41 rural desa and 10 urban kelurahan), and its postal codes.

Notes: (a) including the small offshore islands of Pulau Buring and Pulau Kalong. (b) including 1 kelurahan. (c) including 4 kelurahan. (d) except four villages with different post codes - Baler Bale Agung (62212), Banjar Tengah (62213), Lelateng (62214) and Loloan Barat (62215). (e) except the villages of Pendem (62211) and Loloan Timur (62216).

Products and economy
In 2018, Jembrana's agricultural sector produces rice, soybean, banana, coconut, cloves, coffee, cocoa, beef, buffalo, and sea fishing. The manufacturing industry covers copra and coconut cooking oil industry, rice milling unit, fish canning, brick making, fish processing, tempe and tofu making, various chips, powder coffee processing, cag-cag weaving (hand loom).

The main tourism attractions are West Bali National Park, Madewi Beach, Palasari dam, Rambut Siwi temple, and Bunutan agrotourism.

Jembrana district
Its ten villages are Air Kuning, Batu Agung, Buteng, Dangin Tukadaya, Dauhwaru, East Loloan, Pendem, Perancak, Sangkararung, Yehkuning (Yeh Kuning).

Perancak is the place where Nirartha purportedly landed upon arriving in Bali, around 1492. The temple called Pura Gegé Perancak commemorates this event.

Melaya district
Its ten villages are Belimbingsari (or Blimbingsari), Candikusuma, Ekasari, Gilimanuk, Manistutu, Melaya, Nusasari (or Nusa Sari), Tukadaya, Tuwed and Warnasari.

A part of West Bali National Park is on Gilimanuk, Melaya and Belimbingsari territories.

Palasari and Belimbingsari
This district includes the two christian communities, founded on land given by the colonial administration to stop conflicts between newly converted Christians and their original social environment: Belimbingsari ("essence of the star fruit"), founded with 39 families in November 1939; and Palasari ("the place of the nutmeg trees") - which later became a quarter in Ekasari - in September 1940 with 18 people from the village of Tuka and 6 people from Gumbrih (who started the village with a core of 24 families ), all fleeing Gianyar. The land, covered with wild jungle and very much a virgin territory, was then known as Alas Rangda, the forest of the evil-witch Rangda. Nevertheless the settlers perceived it as a "promised land". There have been economic difficulties in managing agricultural land, notably in the late 60s to early 70s; scarcity of water is a factor, another is that many residents have only limited agricultural land. Some villagers decided to relocate elsewhere in Indonesia. A study in 1990 notes that these two villages "stand in marked contrast to the adjacent Bali-Hindu desa of Nusasari, where the ‘work-ethic’ is less evident." In 2020 Palasari, a Catholic village that still maintains the local culture, has 388 families and a population of 1,350. Palasari has the catholic church of the Sacred Heart, It has become the seat of a pilot project for a successful Catholic mission.

Belimbingsari has the Jemaat (congregation) "Pniel" church, largest protestant church in Bali (Gereja Kristen Protestan di Bali or GKPB) and the center point of the village. Its original church did not look like a Balinese temple; but an earthquake destroyed it in 1971, and it was rebuilt in the local style and now can easily be mistaken for a Hindu temple - with the addition of some crosses on the roof, and a large signboard near the main antrance. It integrates the principles of kosala-kosali, respecting the rules about the cardinal directions in relation to the human anatomy and, in accordance with that principle, its intermediate zone includes supporting buildings (bale kulkul - where the kulkul, or drum from a hollowed tree trunk, replaces the bell - and bale bengong); it applies the principle of tri angga, in harmony with the orientation concept; it uses a fence (penyengker) and barrier walls (kori agung ) with Balinese decorative carvings; the main area of the building is divided according to traditional Balinese temple architecture; Balinese carvings adorn the aling wall, completing its fonction as a repellant to negative energies; many other features follow the same architectural directives as that of a Balinese temple, including its ornaments, as well as the way services are conducted: during the service the villagers wear ceremonial clothes traditionally worn in Hindu temples, and gamelan music accompanies the liturgies. This earned it the nickname "Pura Gereja" or "Temple of Church". The World Council of Churches has saluted it as one of the most unique churches of the world. Belimbingsari has seen significant progress in sanitation, security, economy, and population growth. both local and foreign tourists increasingly visit the village. In 2017 it won the national Community Based Tourism Award for the best community-based tourism village, and the government has formed a team dedicated to Blimbingsari tourism. 85 homestays have been opened in and around the village. But in 2020 health care is still a problem.

East of Eka Sari is the largest dam in Bali; it retains the Pala Sari reservoir and serves as flood control, irrigation, fisheries and recreation. It is also part of a tourism development plan concerning Eka Sari that also includes Palasari Old Church and Goa Maria, and cocoa agrotourism.
 * Pala Sari reservoir

Mendoyo district


Its eleven villages are Delodberawah (Delod Berawah), Mendoyo Dangin Tukad, Mendoyo Dauh Tukad, Penyaringan, Pergung, Pohanten, Tegalcangkring (Tegal Cangkring), Yeh Sumbul, Yehembang (Yeh Embang), Yehembang Kangin (Yeh Embang Kangin), Yehembang Kauh (Yeh Embang Kauh).

Rambut Siwi Temple is on Yeh Embang Kangin territory, between Yeh Satang and Yeh Embang. overlooking the beach, 500 m south off the coastal road between Pulukan (3,5 km) and Jehembang (2 km). Mendoyo, the district capital, is 10 km west. It is the biggest temple in the Jembrana regency. The word rambut means "hair", an allusion to the legend that Nirartha left a lock of his hair to protect the temple.

Negara district
Its twelve villages are Baler Bale Agung, Baluk, Banyu Biru (Banyubiru), Berangbang, Central Banjar, Cupel, East Tegal Badeng, Kaliakah, Lelateng, Pengambengan, West Loloan, West Tegal Badeng.

Pekutatan district
Its eight villages are Asahduren, Gumbrih, Manggissari, Medewi, Pangyangan, Pekutatan, Pengeragoan (Pengragoan), Pulukan.

In front of the Puri Dajuma Resort in Pekutatan, is a concrete memorial to I Gusti Ngurah Rai, who landed at that spot in 1946 with 95 men to fight the Dutch colonials.

The road from Pekutatan going north towards Pupuan, passes through a tunnel made by the aerial roots of a multisecular banyan tree (and not, as often said, through the hollowed trunk). The tree, called Bunut Bolong, stands between Asahduren and Manggissari, 9 km from Pekutatan. It is considered as sacred and there are two shrines at the foot of the tree on its south side.

The Juwuk Manis twin waterfall is also on Manggissari territory.

Other places
Part of West Bali National Park is in the north-west point of this district.

Buffalo racing (makepung lampit)
The word kepung means "to chase", and lampit is "the plow". The tradition of buffalo racing celebrates the rice harvest. It started with farmers racing each other to bring the rice from the fields back to the farm.

The jockeys or sais used to wear a headband (destar), shawl and sling (selempod), and a sword tucked in their belt, all of it as reminders of the dress of ancient Balinese royal warriors. These days there is no sword and they wear long-sleeved batik shirts. Since the 1960s, the races are no longer carried out with plows in wet mud but on paths among the rice fields. This modification occurred at the same time as the formation of the Makepung organisation, with the creation of two groups, namely the Regu Ijo Gading Timur, bearing a red flag; and the Regu Ijo Gading Barat bearing a green flag. The ploughs are gone and the jockeys ride in their stead small, light carts pulled by a pair of buffalos elaborately adorned. To minimize the risks, the race is in a line: the teams start one after the other with an equal distance between each team, and there usually is no overtaking. At the end of the race, the spacing between each team determines the winner: if the gap has widened, the first team wins; if it has reduced, the second team wins. The starting distance between tems is usually 10 m.

The Makepung season generally starts in July and ends in November, across various circuit locations. In Jembrana Regency there are seven circuits: Sangyang Cerik near the village of Tuwed, Tuwed (Melaya district), Delod Berawah (Mendoyo district), Pangkung Dalem (7 km west of Negara), Kaliakah (Negara district), Merta Sari (just south of Negara) and Awen (just south-west of Lelatang, Negara district). The teams run several races until the final governor's cup: "Jembrana Regent's Сup". The races occur generally on Sundays and usually start in the early mornings, around 7:30 am, and last some 5 hours. In Negara, the races are located 10 km south of town, in Perancak, each 28 of the month between July and November, gathering some 250 participants (pepadu) each year.

The races are usually followed by the Buffalo Fashion Show, with hundreds of buffaloes entirely adorned in elaborate attire, vying for the best-dressed title; makepung dances to the sound of jegog musical instruments; dangdut orchestra, bumbung dance and occasionnally cockfighting.

This series of events has now become a cultural spectacle and a significant contributor to the region's tourism industry - all the more important in the remote west. It also helps preserving traditional farming practices while stimulating the advance in animal husbandry practices. No less important, makepung is one of the traditions that strengthen relations between Hindus and Muslims, the latter adopting that tradition as a mark of respect for their host land when they arrived in that area. Thus both socio-religious groups participate, which fosters togetherness.