In North Bali, Pura Pabean is a place of worship and an architectural brilliance that combines the Buddhist, Hindu and Islam influences, and it was once a stopover for international traders passing the old-time Bali.
‘The word ‘pabean’ itself, which can be translated into ‘custom’, implies that the temple was also a stopover for the sailors centuries ago.”
Up north, following a picturesque three-hour drive from Kuta through the rolling hills and plantations down to the coastal lowlands, you will enter Pemuteran, an area that lies on the quiet northwest coast of the island, sandwiched between the West Bali National Park containing pristine coral reefs and luxuriant tropical rainforest.
Pemuteran is a small, laid-back fishing village that unfortunately still hasn’t received the number of visitors it really deserves. While the wonders of Pemuteran that we already knew and experienced astounded and enchanted us, our recent visit to the area, which gave us time to explore more properly, introduced us to another grandeur the area has.
It was Pura Pabean, a space for worship and a architectural melting pot of Buddhist, Hindu and Islam influences. On the grounds that border the ocean, Pura Pabean hearkens to a nostalgic story of how the Balinese fishermen, sailors and traders from outside Bali used to come together to pray for a safe journey.
The word ‘pabean’ itself, which can be translated into ‘customs’, implies that the temple was also a stopover for the sailors centuries ago. Today, the temple continues to be frequented by traders. The Balinese Hindu pilgrims in general normally make Pabean as part of their pilgrimage journeys in the area where a number of other temples are nestled, such as Pura Pulaki, located right across Pabean.
Right on the beach, two huge megaliths from earlier times disappeared into the sand in the 13th century, and were only rediscovered and re-erected in 1997 on their original positions. A good portion of the beach is covered by pebbles, where a horde of resident monkeys can be found playing around on.
Pemuteran in general is a place where you can feast your eyes on awe-inspiring landscapes.
