Ubud, Arts center in Gianyar, Indonesia
Ubud is a town in the Gianyar highlands, surrounded by rice terraces and deep ravines at 210 meters (690 feet) elevation. The main roads Jalan Raya Ubud and Monkey Forest Road form the busy center with galleries, workshops and small cafés.
Rsi Markandya, a Javanese priest from the 8th century, founded the Gunung Lebah Temple at the confluence of two rivers in Campuhan. The settlement grew around this sacred site and later developed into a center for Balinese painting and wood carving.
The Puri Saren Agung at the center still serves as home to the royal family and opens its courtyards for dance performances in the evening. Gamelan orchestras accompany the shows while audiences sit on floor cushions around the open pavilion.
The town receives more than three million international visitors each year, with lodging concentrated along the main roads. Morning hours work well for walks through the rice fields before heat and traffic build up.
Every evening at sunset, 20,000 herons return to the village of Petulu and claim their spots in the trees. This natural show began in 1965 and continues today, with the birds arriving at the same time each day.
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