Located an hour's drive to the north of Bali's capital Denpasar, Ubud is already internationally acknowledged for its visual arts and performance, as well as exceptional arts and crafts, making it one of the most important cultural and artistic centres in Indonesia.

Spectacular rice fields surround Ubud, creating gentle winds that make it noticeably cooler than Denpasar or beachside locations in Bali. In more recent years, Ubud has also become the culinary capital of Bali and is full of world-class restaurants, cafés and local eateries, as well as galleries, lotus ponds, palaces and temples, all clustered close to the main crossroads.

Neighbouring villages offer exquisite artistry such as weaving, wood-carving, shadow puppets and village crafts. The main palace is located in the centre of Ubud, opposite the town market and village theatre where nightly traditional dance performances are held. As well as opportunities for cultural study, Ubud is also a great place to observe and participate in the many Hindu-Balinese ceremonies that take place on almost a daily basis.

ABOUT BALI

The culture of Bali is unique. People say that the Balinese people have reached self-content. It is not an exaggeration that when the Balinese is asked what heaven is like, they would say, just like Bali, without the worries of mundane life. They want to live in Bali, to be cremated in Bali when they die, and to reincarnate in Bali.

It does not mean that the Balinese resist changes. Instead, they adapt it to their own system. This goes back far in history. Before the arrival of Hinduism in Bali and in other parts of Indonesia, people practice animism. When Hinduism arrived, the practice of Hinduism was adapted to local practices. The brand of Hinduism practiced in Bali is different from that in India. Other aspects of life flow this way.

Traditional paintings, faithfully depicting religious, and mythological symbolisms, met the Western and modern paintings, giving birth to contemporary paintings, free in its creative topics yet strongly and distinctively Balinese. Its dance, music, and wayang theatres, while have been continually enriched by contemporary and external artistry, are still laden with religious connotations, performed mostly to appease and to please the gods and the goddesses. Wood and stone carvings, gold and silver crafts parallel the development of paintings, gracefully evolving with external forces to enhance their characters. The batik of Bali owes its origin to Java, and inspired the development of ikat and double ikat.