Belanjong and the Beach of Sanur

Belanjong and the Beach of Sanur

At the tip of sanur village, there is a small settlement called Belanjong. It is not far from Bali beach Hotel, only km to the north-west via the road the road in the front of Hyatt hotels. It can be reached from two directions, namely from the east via a road passing Tanjungsari, Gazebo, Hyatt hotel etc, and from the west passing the crossroad to serangan island at the village of Suwung Batan Kendal. Belanjong became renowned because it was introduced by archaeologists like: Dr. R. Goris, Dr. W.F. Stutterheim and Dr. A.J. Bernet Kampers because it is the site of “Tugubatu” (stone monument) in the from of a stamba with old writing. The location of this written monument is only a few meter south-east of an old Pura named Pura Belanjong. The monument is round and long, about 177 cm high ang 70 cm in diameter. On top ther is a crown in the form of lotus. These stone give us a glimpse of old Bali history. A small hall has been constructed to protect it against damages caused be nature. The specialty of this written stone monument which generally called “Linggaksara” or “Prasasti Belanjong”, is that this stone is inscribed with two character and it is bilingual. On the eastern part it is written in old Bali characters and Sanskrit. On the western side it is written in Dewa nagari characters and old Balinese language. But unfortunately almost all the characters are damaged in such a way that only a small part can be read.

The atmosphere around Belajong is quiet and cool. The field around it are planted with coconut trees and ten meters to the south. In front of the Belajong Pura there is also a Banjar Hall, which is used by the local fishermen to relax while making traditional tols to catch fish. There are many small side-roads near the pura which lead snakelike under the coconut trees to the beach. Some lead to the beach of Mertasari, some to the beach of Semawang, to the hotel Garuda, and to Sanur. At Sanur, the sea is calm and white sand is found along the beach. The resting places along the beach of sanur are really ideal and artistic while there is a harmonic blending between the quiet shade and the coast. All day long Sanur’s Beach is full of activities namely: fishermen looking for fish, peasants working on their rice fields and people looking for coral stone to make lime. There are also people who hire their small boat, fish traders, handicraft trader foreign and domestic tourists who lodge in hotels along the coast, people relaxing and people swimming in sea. Sanur in many people’s favorite beach for watching the sun rise or enjoying the full moon.