Margarana Museum

Margarana Battle Museum was opened in 1986 by the former Governor of Bali, Mr Ida Bagus Mantra. It is managed by the “Kebaktian Pejuang Daerah Bali” foundation. Beside the museum you will find the freedom fight monument. Margarana Battle Museum is also collecting historical items, such as weapons, old communication tools, items used in the freedom fight and civil costumes used by the hero I Gusti Ngurah Rai. The Margarana (“Battle of Marga”) memorial park honors a regiment of guerilla fighters killed by a Dutch ground attack and aerial bombardment shortly after World War II ended. This monument is located in Marga, 15 km northeast of Tabanan.

The Balinese whom were armed only with sharpened bamboo poles far outnumbered the Dutch but the great spirit of independence led them to the victory. The aristocratic leader of this futile last stand was Lt. Col. I Gusti Ngurah Rai. His name is now commemorated on street signs all over the island and Bali’s main international airport is named in his honor. In the middle of this monument is a 17 meter tall, 8 roofed monument shaped like a Javanese candi, it symbolized the unity of the fallen revolutionaries in their fight for freedom.It’s not just a regular tourist stop, it’s worth a visit for its reverential atmosphere.

Manusia Purba Museum

Manusia Purba Museum is a small prehistoric museum with significant collections of prehistoric artifacts and prehistoric human’s bones. This unique museum is located in the west tip of Bali, in Gilimanuk, Jembrana regency. Manusia Purba Museum houses collection of prehistoric bones and artifacts which were found by R.P. Soejoeno of Bali Archaeological Service during great excavation in 1962, in the village of Cekik, where the museum finally located. Cekik site is one of the biggest necropolises found in Indonesia. In this site, the archeologists found various artifacts such as jewelries, bronze equipments, glass beads, pottery and sarcophagus, 100 complete prehistoric human skeletons adult were also found in an ancient graveyard in this excavation area.

The artifacts and the bones which were found in Cekik excavation site are exhibited in this museum in a modest display. The prima ballerina of Manusia Purba Museum is two sarcophaguses which form a set of double jar burial, it is a unique burial system in which the second jar contains a skeleton in a position of a man which his hand were tied in the back, which suggest that this unfortunate person was buried alive against his will to accompany the deceased person in the first sarcophagus. Manusia Purba Museum of Gilimanuk houses a complete collection of early civilization in this island which provides useful information on the life and culture of ancient inhabitants of the last paradise; magnificent and important collections for a small and modest museum which is frequently unnoticed by the Balinese and the visitors. It worth a visit but one hardly knows it exists.

Le Mayeur Museum

Le Mayeur Museum in Sanur is definitely a must-see place in Bali for the simple reason that some of Belgian artist Andrien Jean Le Mayeur‘s finest paintings of his lovely wife Ni Pollok, who often modeled for him, are housed here. Located just steps away from Sanur Beach, the museum is flanked by the Grand Bali Beach Hotel to the south and Pura Dalem (Temple of the Dead) and the Diwangkara Hotel on the north. Le Mayeur Museum features a good variety of the artist’s paintings in both oil and water colors. Most of his paintings are of his wife Ni Pollok or other young Balinese women in various states of repose or doing traditional crafts such as weaving. La Mayeur’s works capture the natural beauty of Bali and its culture long ago. With each brush stroke the viewer can envision the passion he had for his art and his wife Ni Pollok.

Besides paintings, the museum also has many household items on display including an elegantly carved octagonal teakwood table, elaborately carved cupboards, vases, and many more. There are also several decorative plates and ceramics according to Michele Cempaka. Le Mayeur Museum was originally Le Mayeur’s home, but as his fame grew, high ranking authorities including former President Soekarno, former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and many others came to visit him. In 1956 the Indonesian minister of education and culture visited Le Mayeur as well, and was so impressed by Le Mayeur’s paintings that he asked Le Mayeur if he would consider allowing his home to be preserved as an official museum. Le Mayeur agreed and began to produce even more paintings which he wanted to be included in his collection of work.

In the beginning, there were only two buildings — the main house and a kitchen. Later, a storage building for Le Mayeur’s paintings was constructed behind the main house. The buildings are simple but have an artistic flair which embodies Le Mayeur’s aesthetic and love of beauty. There are several exceptional shrines scattered in the museum’s grounds and the shrine in the front near the entryway is particularly beautiful — over time a tree has woven its branches around it. Next to the smaller building are two busts — Ni Nyoman Pollok with her husband Adrian Jean Le Mayeur De Merpres. The busts sit under a small pavilion which overlooks a lovely water pond. Across from here is a Bale Bengong — a traditional open air pavilion where La Mayeur would often find inspiration to paint. Ni Pollok later used this area for preparing offerings, dance training and weaving, although originally she had utilized the smaller building, which was called Bale Pecanangan.

The story goes that Le Mayeur met Ni Pollok when she was still a child. She was an excellent Legong dancer who regularly performed at Pura Prajurit — a temple for the dead heroes, which is near the home he rented in Sanur. Shortly thereafter, she began modeling for him and their relationship deepened. They were married according to Balinese tradition in an Adat Hindu ceremony. She loved him very deeply and wanted to have a child with him as evidence of their love, but Le Mayeur didn’t want to have children; instead, he preferred that she preserve her beautiful figure so that he could continue to memorialize her in his paintings.

After Ni Pollok’s death in 1985, the museum was taken over by the Indonesian government. For several years the paintings were neglected, resulting in deterioration, but by 2003, Mr. Ketut Naria made an appeal to the State Ministry for Culture and Tourism, through the deputy assistant of art, Surya Yuga, that Le Mayeur’s works be immediately restored. In 2003 a restoration team was brought together for the purpose of restoring all of the paintings in the Le Mayeur Museum. While conditions have improved, there are still several paintings which are in need of attention.

Gedong Kertya Museum

Gedong Kertya Museum is located in Buleleng Pura Sasana Budaya Art Singaraja, precisely in the road Veteran no. 23 Singaraja. Gedong Kertya is ejection yng library exists only one in Indonesia, even in the world. There is a collection and copies of handwritten text associated with Balinese literature, myths, medicine, incantations, religious literature and others. There are also palm-shaped image contains comic called “prasi”. There are about 4000 palmyra stored in this library are stored in a wooden box.

A few meters to the east Gedong Kertya, there Buleleng Museum which was established on March 30, 2002, which stored its collection includes objects like the sarcophagus Ancient Remains, sculpture, and other weapons. Art objects such as paintings, cloths, Handicraft Gold and silver and other objects relating to the North Balinese society such as agricultural tools and fishing equipment.

Gedong Arca Purbakala

At the east end of Bedulu, on the road to Pejeng, stands the very interesting Archaeological Museum (Gedong Arca Purbakala). In the inner courtyard are 53 stufa sarcophagi of varying size which are believed to date from about 300 bc. They were found in the early seventies on 37 different sites on Bali and brought together here. Some of them show signs of damage – probably the work of tomb-robbers or careless excavators. The dead were laid in the sarcophagi not in the traditional western fashion but in a crouching posture. This is thought to be a symbolic representation of the eternal cycle of birth, death and rebirth, in which the dead person was reborn from a fetal position.

Particularly striking is a sarcophagus found at Taman Bali (near Bangli) in the form of two turtles (symbols of the underworld), one on top of the other. Interestingly, the head of the lower turtle has human features. Gedong Arca Purbakala Museum displays a variety of jewelry and ornaments, utensils and implements dating from the Stone and Bronze Ages – mostly chance finds rather than the result of planned excavation. Of particular interest are the miniature stupas from the Bedulu/Pejeng area, no doubt dating from Bali’s Buddhist period (8th-10th c. ad).

Bali Museum

Bali Museum is strategically located in Major Wisnu Street in Denpasar Bali and it is find it due to the location is in the heart town. In the north side there are glorious temple of Jagatnatha, meanwhile in front of it the Puputan Badung (Badung Courtyard) and four face statue (Catur Muka Statue) are located. The development of Bali Museum is begun by the existence of initiative how to vitally the heritage of Balinese culture and taking care of, preserve and maintaining. The initiative is based on the existence of feeling to worry, that there is symptom a kind of culture erosion, so that the cultural heritage become totally disappeared, lose, what omit only photograph and documentations.

The object collections which are kept in Bali Museum can be classified become the prehistoric object collection like: the Grave Petrify (sarkopag), the object collection coming from history era like: stupika clay containing superstitious formula Ye Te, the bronze statues (Hindu and Budha statues) and ethnography object collection like Keris, Endek Cloth, and religious ceremony equipments (Sangku, Cecepan and Sidakarya mask). In its growth, now Bali Museum have been opened generically and become the tourist destination in Denpasar Town and it is a prefect place to visit in Bali in particular on Denpasar City Tour or join Denpasar Tour Package.

Arma Museum

The paintings in Arma Museum have been selected from the collection of Agung Rai. as the owner of this museum. The collection as a whole, with works dating from the turn of the century to the present, gives the viewer a sense of the evolution of Balinese painting during the time, and of the range of modern Indonesian art. Comprising works representative of all styles of Balinese painting, as well as works by Western artists who encouraged and supported Balinese painters, the collection also includes paintings by Indonesian and foreigners who found, or continue to find inspiration among the Balinese.

Agung Rai has selected the works in his collection based on what he describes as a spiritual connection he feels between a painting and himself if the painting has taksu. Taksu is a Balinese word for a power that can be sensed, that can not be intentionally sought or attained through study. It can be termed divine inspiration, a gift, a kind of charisma what can be bestowed by God on an artist, dancer, musician, carver, writer, orator, or healer. Taksu is not constant, it does not necessarily remain with a person, rather it appears if the person is in an appropriate state of purity, or otherwise deemed suited for receiving a divine gift. It is because of taksu that a novice painter can produce a work of surprising power and grace.