The Sacred MONKEY FOREST Sanctuary

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The Sacred MONKEY FOREST Sanctuary

Monkey Forest Ubud

Tri Hita Karana

The mission of The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary (Monkey Forest Ubud) is conserving the area based on the concept of Tri Hita Karana. Tri Hita Karana is one of the philosophies in Hinduism. Tri Hita Karana is derived from the word of “Tri” which means happiness, and “Karana” which means the cause or manner. Thus, Tri Hita Karana means “Three ways to reach spiritual and physical well-being”. The substances of doctrine of Tri Hata Karana is how to make people maintain a harmonious relationship in this life. Those three relationships comprise of harmonious relationships between humans and humans, humans and their environment, and humans with The Supreme God. The implementation of Tri Hata Karana, in addition to the ritual performed in the temples, can be seen in special ritual activities related to the animal, called Tumpek Kandang; and Tumpek Uduh, where the plant is the subject of the ritual. Based on the concept of Tri Hata Karana, The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary (Monkey Forest Ubud) will be featured of international tourist destination to create peace and harmony to the visitors. As well as can be the heart of the city, the conservation of the rare plants and plants for ritual purpose, and as a natural laboratory for educational institutions.

Temple

Based on the analysis of the Pura Purana (a holy book made from palm tree leaves as a historical document of the temple), temples in The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary (Monkey Forest Ubud) area are built around the middle of the 14th century. When the kingdoms in Baliwere ruled by Dynasty of Pejeng or can also be said about the beginning of Gelgen Dynasty.

There are three temples in the area of Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary:

  1. Pura Dalem Agung (The Main Temple), located in the southwest area. In this temple, people worship to the God (Hyang Widhi) in personification as Shiva, “The Recycler” or “The Transformed”
  2. In the northwest area, you will find Pura Beji “Buji Templeton”. In this temple, people worship to the God (Hyang Widhi) in personification as goddess Gangga. This temple is a place of purification before conducting the ceremony (piodalan). Pura Beji is often used for “melukat” as spiritual and physical cleansing.
  3. The third temple is Pura Prajapati (Prajapati Temple). This temple is located in the northeast area. This temple is adjacent to the cemetery. In this temple, Hindus worship to the God (Hyang Widhi) in personification as Prajapati. The cemetery is used temporarily while waiting for the day of the mass cremation which is held every 5 years.

Balinese Monkey

The type of monkeys that live in the area of The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary (Monkey Forest Ubud), known as the Balinese long-tailed monkey, in scientific called Macaca fascicularis. In English called macaque. There are about 900 monkeys living in this area. They are divided into 6 groups: in front of the main temple, Michelin, eastern, central, cemeteries, and south. Each group consists of 100 – 150 monkeys which are: infants (0-1 year), juvenile 1 (1-2 years), juvenile 2 (2-4 years), sub-adult male (4-6 years), adult female (>4 years), and adult male (>6 years). Because of the considerable population, the conflicts between groups of monkeys cannot be avoided. Sometimes for a specific reason, such as bath to the river in the dry season, certain groups must cross the other group`s territory. This type of primate is active during the day and rest at night. The pregnancies of female monkey are about 6 months and generally, 1 infant is born. Very rarely are twins. Monkey’s baby stays with their mother for about 10 months and thereafter will be weaned to live independently. Mating can occur throughout the year with higher intensity happened from May to August. Monkey’s mother is keeping their babies intensively; even female monkeys who are not the parent also participated in keeping the baby monkey. The average weight of a female monkey is 2.5 – 5.7 kg and male monkey 3.8 – 8 kg. The lifespan of male monkey up to 15 years while female monkey up to 20 years. The long-tailed monkeys are omnivores. In the Monkey Forest Ubud, the main food of the monkey is sweet potato, given at least 3 times a day and combine in daily with banana, papaya, leaf, corn, cucumber, coconut, and other local fruit.

Research and Conservation

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary (Monkey Forest Ubud) is not just a tourist attraction or important component in the spiritual and economic life of the local community, but also an important spot for research and conservation programs. The special management and arrangement that have been done in this area encouraged researchers from various research institutions around the world to conduct research, particularly on the monkey’s social interaction and behavior with their surrounding environment.

Recommendations for the Visitors

For your safety and convenience please read and follow the “Money Forest Guidelines” that had been placed around the area. If you bring a bag (plastic or paper) or plastic bottle, we suggest you to entrust and leave the plastic at the ticket counter. In generally, monkeys will not come to you if you do not bring bananas or any other food. To respect the natural behavior of the monkey and avoiding any accident (since monkeys are wild animal, not pets and their behavior is unpredictable), please don’t make any physical contact or feed the monkey extra food from outside the park. In order to conserve the monkeys and forests, we engage you to keep the forests, wildlife, and environment in a good manner. This forest area is sanctified by the local people community. There are some parts of the area that are prohibited for the public to see or visit. For example, the sacred area or temple. The temple area is only accessible for whom willing to pray and wear proper Balinese paying dress. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary (Monkey Forest Ubud) staff – with a green uniform.

The entrance fee: 50.000 IDR

Opening hours: 8:30 – 17:30 daily

/Information taken from The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary leaflet/

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