BALI SANGEH MONKEY FOREST

Sangeh Monkey Forest Location

Sangeh Monkey Forest located at the northern Sangeh Village, Abiansemal District Badung Regency. Sangeh is the name of a village of which its northern pan overgrown with Palas to the extent of hectares, and which is occupied by hundreds of monkeys. It is about 21 km from Denpasar and can be reached by car easily with a good road condition. If you drive from Denpasar or Kuta it will take about 1 hour of travel time, the location is not so difficult to find because there are many road signs at the crossroads, and also you can use Google maps to guide you to reach this location. If you don't want to travel alone, we from Bali Tour are ready to take you to visit the Sangeh Monkey Forest with private transportation and an experienced driver will make this trip even more enjoyable

Meaning name Sangeh

According to the mythology from the local villagers, the word Sangeh is derived from the root "Sang" that means a determiner for person and "Ngeh" mean seeing or observing. It is said that the Pala trees growing in the forest were originated from Mount Agung that performed a journey to Taman Ayun Temple. They would be going to festoon the garden belonged to Mengwi Kingdom. Their journey was carried out in the evening to avoid from being observed. Unfortunately, people saw the Pala trees walking in a procession. They suddenly stopped. Spot where they stopped was named Sangeh that means one who sees. If you visit the island of Bali, it would be nice to visit this Sangeh Monkey Forest to see the beauty of this tropical forest and Pala Trees that are hundreds of years old, and also see tame monkeys roaming around the forests and temples here.

Pala Tree Mystery at Sangeh Monkey Forest

Sangeh is a tropical forest located in Badunga district which the local people refer to as "Alas Pala" which means Pala forest. The Pala is meant for a plant that has the Latin name Dipterocarpus haseltii. This forest has a very high species abundance. The Pala tree in Sangeh is estimated to be hundreds of years old. Such Palas can not be found in other places Bali, and the existence at Sangeh a mystery. The nut meg tree forest with extent of 10 hectares is a holy territory that is securitized by Sangeh Customary Village and its vicinity. In the middle of such green and dense forest, lives over 600 tame and friendly monkeys that all the time appeal to visitor, Part from functioning as sacred places, the forest along with the monkeys comes to be fascinating tourist object that is worth visiting. Dipterocarpus hasseltii is a group of commercial tree species from the Dipterocarpaceae family. The tree is buttressed, can reach a height of 45 m with a diameter of up to 1.5 meters. This species is found in Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali and the Philippines. In timber trading activities, this species is known as keruing.

Pucak Bukit Sari Temple at Sangeh Forest

In the Sangeh Monkey Forest, you can see a very old temple located in the middle of the forest with monkeys roaming around this temple, while there is a unique history that can be said about this temple. In the middle of the forest stands the Pucak Bukit Sari Temple building. According to history, The tall Pala trees shade the Pucak Bukit Sari Temple in the middle of the forest. This temple, which was built in the 17th century, is a sacred place that was bequeathed to Sangeh Village by the Mengwi Kingdom. this temple was built by Anak Agung Anglurah Made Karangasem Sakti, the adopted son of King Mengwi, Tjokorda Sakti Blambangan. It is said that Anak Agung Anglurah Made Karangasem Sakti, since childhood, did 'rare asceticism', namely meditating like children's behavior. After his magic became stronger, he also received a magical prompting to make a place of prayer in the middle of the Pala forest in this sangeh, which is now known as Pura Pucak Bukit Sari.

Lanang Wadong Tree at Sangeh Forest

In addition to the Pala tree, there are still famous plants in the Sangeh forest, the local community used to call it the "Lanang Wadon Tree" which is translated into English which means a "Female and Male Tree". It is called the Lanang Wadon Tree, because this tree looks like it has an 'organ' like humans. At the bottom of the tree there is a hole so that it resembles a female genitalia and from the hole emerges another trunk that looks like a male genitalia. From this phenomenon, the tree was named the Lanang Wadon Tree which means "Male and Female". The tree grows right in the front yard of the Sangeh tourist spot. The uniqueness is very unique where you can see a tree that grows very large and has a hole in the middle and there are root protrusions that resemble male genitals and the holes resemble female genitals, so the locals call them male and female trees. As for the age of this tree, it is hundreds of years old, as can be seen from its sturdy roots hanging down. It's a very beautiful sight to know more about the history of this sangeh forest

Sangeh Monkey Forest History

Here are so many versions about the history of this Sangeh monkey forest, as for several versions based on local people's stories, historical book references and others. But whatever the historical version, where the Sangeh Monkey Forest is very old and has become a legacy from our predecessors, where we as the younger generation are expected to be able to maintain the legacy of our ancestors and maintain the mandate they gave. There are several versions of history that we have collected and summarized, about whether it is true or not, you can judge for yourself

1. where the monkeys here are of the long monkey type with the Latin name Macaca fascicularis. According to stories from local people, it is said that the monkeys here are the incarnation of soldiers who were transformed into forest dwellers. Until now, the surrounding community would not dare to disturb their existence, because they are considered sacred monkeys that are sacred and bring blessings. Sangeh is considered a sacred forest by the surrounding community. The myth passed down from generation to generation has made the Pala trees and monkeys in the Sangeh forest sustainable. Because of this myth, the Sangeh forest is still preserved and is used as one of the leading tourist destinations in Badung Regency
2. A small temple shrouded or covered with mushrooms is hidden among the tall Pala. The back pillar of the temple is carved with a statue of an eagle, a mystical bud that is told in the story of Samudramantana to search for holy water (in Balinese it is called Tirta Amerta m) at the bottom of the ocean. Then, thanks to his encounter in search of holy water, the eagle was presented with a swallow by the God who manifested as Vishnu (Batara Vrsnu), and eventually became the faithful vehicle of this God.
3. Another legend relate it to the story of the Ramayana, where these monkeys are soldiers who were sent to attack Ravana in the release of Dewi Sita from the grasp of Ravana. tells that the forest dwellers were monkey soldiers who were used in the battle to kill Ravana. The monkeys fell with chunks of mountain forest that were used to suppress Ravana's body, then settled permanently in the forest and are still in this sangeh forest.
4. Another story tells from the land of Bali where the story of the Mengwi kingdom tells that a princess of the kingdom of Mengwi named Mayangsari, who fell in love, faded to be engaged, eventually fled to a nearby forest, and became a hermit. In his escape, he did not wear a single dot so he had to use his long hair to cover the most forbidden parts of his body. He faced his every dream, dying mysteriously. Local people believe that the goddess is now Batari Mayangsari.

Facilities at Sangeh Monkey Forest

The facilities in Sangeh Monkey Forest are very complete, where to support tourism in Badung Regency, facilities are provided that will make tourists feel at home and happy to come here. The parking area is very large and can accommodate many buses here, so you don't need to worry anymore about finding a parking space for your vehicle, there are many food and soft drink shops around this place, so when you are thirsty or hungry you don't need to be confused to look for where, here it is available. there is a fairly clean bathroom here that you can use. There is a small shop that sells many handicrafts here, you can buy it as a gift for visiting this beautiful and sustainable Sangeh village.