Article Treasures | Ubud - The Most Exotic Place in This World

If you're looking for peace and quiet, then Ubud is the place to be. Steeped in culture and enhanced by magnificent vistas, Ubud offers a respite from the humdrum of your busy life. In the past, Ubud was just a small village, but now it has grown into a thriving yet laid back cosmopolitan community. Ubud pampers visitors in body and soul. Fine dining restaurants and spas here will delight and relax the senses. A walk through the lush paddy fields, watching colourful processions of women gracefully balancing piles of fruit offerings on their way to the temple, are lasting impressions and simply breathtaking.

The best way to observe Bali's traditions and culture is through mingling with the locals and watching their daily routine. In this town, you can visit the temples and villages that have remained relatively unchanged through the years.

Art galleries are also abundant. Masterful paintings and sculptures are waiting to be admired and appreciated, for who knows you may find the perfect painting or statue to grace your own living room?
This region is steeped in history and culture. Many remains from the old kingdoms of Bali can be found here, and unique arts and crafts are just waiting to be discovered. Known for its tranquillity, Ubud offers several natural retreats. The lush, green views and cool atmosphere makes morning and afternoon strolls most pleasant.

It's no surprise that many people come to Ubud for a day or two and end up staing longer, drawn in by the culture and activities on offer. Ubud is where famed Elizabeth Gilbert found peace and her love as written in her best selling memoir " Eat, Pray, Love", which is now made into a film featuring Julia Roberts. Indonesia's ownn celebrity Christine Hakim plays Wayan, the local alternative healer.

History of Ubud
8th century legend tells of a Javanese priest, Rsi Markendya, who meditated at the confluence of two rivers (an auspicious site for Hindus) at the Ubud locality of Campuan. Here he founded the Gunung Lebah Temple on the valley floor, the site of which remains a pilgrim destination.
The town was originally important as a source of medicinal herbs and plants; Ubud gets its name from the Balinese word ubad (medicine).

In the late nineteenth century, Ubud became the seat of feudal lords who owed their allegiance to the king of Gianyar, at one time the most powerful of Bali's southern states. The lords were members of the satriya family of Sukawati, and were significant supporters of the village's increasingly renowned arts scene.

Tourism on the island developed after the arrival of Walter Spies, an ethnic German born in Russia who taught painting and music, and dabbled in dance. Spies and foreign painters Willem Hofker and Rudolf Bonnet entertained celebrities including Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Barbara Hutton, H.G. Wells and Vicki Baum. They brought in some of the greatest artists from all over Bali to teach and train the Balinese in arts, helping Ubud become the cultural centre of Bali.

A new burst of creative energy came in 1960s in the wake of Dutch painter Arie Smit (1916-), and development of the Young Artists Movement. There are many museums in Ubud, including the Museum Puri Lukisan, Museum Neka and the Agung Rai Museum of Art.

The Bali tourist boom since the late 1960s has seen much development in the town; however, it remains a centre of artistic pursuit.