When we were in Bali we had the opportunity to visit the Tegallalang Rice Terrace outside Ubud. That place is just absolutely breathtaking! Before we went to Bali I thought the rice terraces were just in one location, but these places are all over the country. We saw several areas set up like this, but the Tegallalang Rice Terrace was the most picturesque. We actually stumbled upon this one when we were driving to a different area and I was so excited we found it that I almost started crying. Troy thought I was a little silly, but that’s okay. This place is just gorgeous and we both loved being there. We spent about two and a half hours wandering through the fields and climbing around the area.
As you can see, these rice fields are much different than the rice fields in other countries. The style of the rice fields in Bali is known as the Subak System. It is the terraced rice patties. The design allows water to accumulate naturally on each of the terraces and then filter down to the terraces below. It really is neat to see the system in action.
However, the Subak system is not just how the water flows down the terraces. It also encompasses the philosophy the Balinese people have of creating a synergistic relationship between the land, the people and their gods. This is known as Tri Hita Karana. In keeping with this philosophy, there are numerous shrines to Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice, in the rice fields and on the island. It really is neat to see the little shrine boxes dotting the area. I love how devout the people are.
When we were at Tegallalang, we had the opportunity to climb down and wander around the fields, checking out the true magnitude of the system. It was a wonderful experience. We got to see locals working in the fields up close and we got to see for ourselves how the irrigation system works. These fields are over 1,000 years old and are meticulously maintained. It’s hard to believe that these terraced fields have been in place for so long and were set up without the use of modern machinery. It’s very impressive and the Balinese people should be very proud of what they have accomplished.
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