ADMIRE THE BEAUTY OF BIGGESTBUDDHIST TEMPLE IN BALI

BRAHMA VIHARA ARAMA,

THE HIDDEN BEAUTY OF BUDDHIST HERITAGE

Buleleng is one of the Regency in Bali which has a lot of tourist attraction in each district. One of the district in Buleleng which has the hidden beauty of the nature and cultural is Banjar district, there are some tourist attraction which has the beauty itself but not a lot of people knows. In Banjar District there is Hot Spring water which is very famous to visit by many people, because their believe that hot spring water in Banjar can acure various kind of disease because the sulfur content in the hot spring. Beside Banjar Hot Spring Water there are also the other kind of tourist attraction which recommended to visit, but for the travelers who loves to visit cultural heritage in Banjar, you can get it by visiting the biggest Buddhist temple in Banjar at a time in Bali that called as Brahma ViharaArama. Brahma ViharaArama is exactly located in BanjarTegeha Village, Banjar District, Buleleng Regency, about 2 hours 38 minutes from NgurahRaiInternational Airport. Brahma ViharaArama is situated in the high hill of Banjar Village, in the east of Banjar hot Spring Water. To enter inside the Vihara you need to pay the entrance ticket about IDR 20.000 for foreign tourist, IDR 10.000 for domestic people and free entrance ticket for local people around Buleleng Regency.

In the Vihara area there are many statues that you can see such as there are Buddha statues as the Buddha and the Parinirwana Statue. Both Statuewere made of gold-plated bronze and were donations from Thailand and Sri Lanka around 1977. Each of statues was placed in a different room.The other Buddha statues that made of solid stone and concrete are scattered throughout the park at Brahma vihara Arama.

If you surrounds all of the area in Vihara, you will find a miniature temple of Borobudur temple that stand magestically with the same architecture as like as Borobudur temple in Central Java. In front of the miniature temple, there is a very large place which is usually used for meditation. Not only Buddhists, visitors are also allowed to meditate or pray at this temple. Because this Vihara is located in a hilly area, the atmosphere is very peaceful and joyfull that make many visitors who come here beside enjoy the vihara as a tourist attractions but also make this vihara as a place of meditation.

This Vihara generally consists of some complexes, such as

UposthaGara, located on the peak of the West, this place is a very comfortable, quiet and peaceful room which is usually used for the place of dedication (inauguration) of the SamaneraBhiku (prospective Bhiku), The decoration on the wall is completed with a panel of the Buddha's birth, and in the middle of the room is stands a Buddha statue in the state of reaching Nirvana.

Dharmasala, located in the east which is a place like a study room. This place is used for spiritual activities like worship or the monks hold services and give sermons. The stupa, located in the northwest corner, is a building that looks like a giant bell where all sides are made of concrete with amazing reliefs.

Bodi Tree, located in the southwest corner which is a building that has a big tree with nameBodi Tree, where around the tree is decorated with reliefs. This place was the symbol of the Buddha's victory when he reached "Samma the Buddha" (eternal perfection). In this place generally every visitor meditates especially on the feast of Vesak or Asada.

Kuti, is a rooms that are used as the residence of monks and students who are studying and sometimes this place is used as a place of training for monks.

The Facilities in Brahma ViharaArama is quiet adequate, there are two restroom inside the vihara, a Library where is there are many kind ofbooks about Buddha and meditation, and some rooms that can be used for the people or visitors who wants to stay there for meditation, and also there is a souvenir shop outside the vihara which sell any kinds of local souvenirs. (Merry Dwika-MBP 5B-02)