The magical Origin of Ubud

The origin of Ubud is significant and complex; we at Instant Karma were fortunate to meet Ratu Cokorda Agung Darmayasa and Jro Dasaran Istri Ayu Mas Gading, two highly spiritual people who are truly committed that the history and origin of Ubud is told holistically correct.

There are many places in Bali with impressive stories of art, culture and religion. Ubud is one of them. Ubud is the cultural center of Bali. All the artists and priests before our time came to this place because it exudes certain magic.

With artists like Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet, Don Antonio Maria Blanco and the father of marketing Philip Kottler – the King of Ubud wanted to show the world that Bali has much more to offer than the beaches of the south.

A glimpse at Hinduism in Bali

The Origin of Ubud

Maha Rsi Markandhya started his journey to Bali from Mount Raung in the Banuyuwangi area. After placing his Panca Datu (armband) at Besakih Temple, he continued his journey towards Campuhan Hill. Arriving there, Maha Rsi Markandhya was amazed by the beauty of the hill, and it was named Gunung Lebah.

On the western side, there is a river called Tukad Yeh Wos Kiwa, and in the east, it is called Tukad Yeh Wos Tengen. The rivers merge in the southern area of the hill known as Campuhan (Pecampuhan – meaning mixing of the rivers) from the river’s flow. It was in this area that Maha Rsi Markandhya built a holy place called Pura Gunung Lebah.

After that, he began to explore the forest to create a place for hermitage, followed by building settlements and making land for farming. Based on the Lontar (palm leaf) manuscripts, Markandhya Purana, the name Uos or Wos for the rivers, follows the name of the settlements in the area since ancient times.

First, there were the names “Wos” or “Uos” for the river, which changed over time to “Usadi” and “Usada”.

“Usada” further developed into the narration “Ubad”, and the name further distorted into “Ubud”.

Cultural heroes such as Maha Rsi Markandhya are significant for the establishment of temples in Bali. The concepts and ideology he was teaching, is still embedded in the history and folklore circulating in the community.

After being instrumental in managing the Gunung Lebah Temple, Maha Rsi Markandhya, then moved further north. It used to be called “Sarwa”, where it is now known as Taro Village.

There is a myth inherent in the Gunung Lebah temple in Ubud:

It is said that once around the Gunung Lebah Temple in Ubud, there were two giants, Luh (female) and Muani (male), who lived in a cave in the river Yeh Wos Kiwa. This incident began when the public finally knew that the Rejang dancers who mysteriously disappeared during Ngayah at the Gunung Lebah Temple had disappeared due to being eaten by a monster.

In the end, the two giants died at the hands of the residents. The giant “Muani” died because he was stabbed with a hoe by a farmer in a village called Penestanan. In contrast, the giant “Luh”, who died because the local community burned the cave where he lived.

Nevertheless, artefacts from these monsters are still around the Gunung Lebah Temple area, such as the giant cave of mortar, a giant market, and a giant grave.

Respect Mother Earth and Mother Earth shall bless you.

The rivers “Yeh Wos Kiwa” (right) and “Yeh Wos Tengen” (left) are depicting the teachings of Rwa Bhineda, one of the most mysterious and intriguing aspects of Balinese philosophy. This loosely translates as dualism as it pertains to the belief that all life depends on a balance between opposite forces.

These opposites-in-balance are not strictly considered good or bad, nor is one supposed to defeat the other. It is not believed that life is moving towards eventual cosmic and personal perfection. The ultimate goal of one’s life is balance and accommodation of all aspects of life, both constructive and destructive.

The concept of Rwa Bhineda looks at life as it is, not how it is supposed to be.