Candi Teballinggah and Lontar: Two Forms of Bali’s Memory

Gianyar — Candi Tebing Tegallinggah, a cliff-cut archaeological sanctuary in Bali’s Pakerisan River valley, and lontar, the island’s palm-leaf manuscripts, illustrate how Balinese cultural memory is preserved both in carved volcanic rock and in written knowledge that remains tied to living religious and community practice.

The sanctuary sits on the steep bank of the Pakerisan in Tegallinggah hamlet, Bedulu village, Blahbatuh district, Gianyar, and is recognised locally as an archaeological heritage site within the river’s dense cluster of ancient monuments. Lontar manuscripts, produced from the palmyra palm, continue to be copied, read and honoured in temples, homes and specialised collections such as Museum Pustaka Lontar in Karangasem.

A sanctuary above the Pakerisan

Candi Tebing Tegallinggah is carved directly into a cliff of volcanic rock formed by ancient eruptions from Mount Batur, making it the southernmost of several cliff temples and hermitages along the Pakerisan. Regional cultural authorities describe it as an archaeological remain and an object suspected as cultural heritage, pending formal designation under Indonesia’s cultural heritage law.

The complex follows the line of the rock face rather than a broad courtyard. Official and academic descriptions note multiple carved elements: two main cliff shrines with three lingga each associated with the Hindu Trimurti, a gateway, meditation niches and a small cave. Archaeological studies interpret the site as a hermitage and sacred place for worship and spiritual activities, including meditation and ritual self-cleansing (melukat) using water from the river and springs in the area.

Local and tourism information places the site in Tegallinggah, about 24 kilometres from Denpasar and around three kilometres from Gianyar town, reached through village roads and a path descending into the river valley. While accounts differ on exact visitor numbers, regional media and researchers describe Tegallinggah as far less visited than nearby Goa Gajah and Gunung Kawi, despite its archaeological significance and proximity to other Warmadewa-period remains along the same watershed.

Key site data

• Location: Tegallinggah hamlet, Bedulu village, Blahbatuh district, Gianyar, on the Pakerisan River valley
• Setting: Cliff-cut shrines, niches and a gateway carved into volcanic rock above the river
• Estimated period: Often associated with the 12th–13th century Ancient Bali / Warmadewa era, though the exact construction date and patron remain uncertain
• Status: Listed in regional and national inventories as an archaeological remain and object suspected as cultural heritage (ODCB)
• Discovery: Rediscovered in the mid-20th century by Dutch archaeologist Krijgsman while investigating a small structure on the cliff above the Pakerisan.

Scholars note that the absence of dedicatory inscriptions and standard ritual deposits leaves questions about the original function and whether the complex was completed. Some studies link its construction techniques and layout to other cliff temples such as Gunung Kawi and Kerobokan, situating Tegallinggah within a broader sacred landscape organised along the river system.

Lontar as written inheritance

Lontar manuscripts are produced from prepared leaves of the Asian palmyra palm, known locally as pohon ental. Cultural explanations describe a lengthy preparation process in which leaves are selected, dried and treated before being cut and clamped into bundles suitable for writing. Writing is carried out by incising the surface with a blunt knife-like tool known as pangrupak, followed by rubbing burnt material such as candlenut into the incisions so that the script becomes visible.

According to cultural practitioners, the act of writing is framed as both technical and devotional, accompanied by prayers and small offerings such as canang to honour the knowledge being recorded. The manuscripts are categorised into broad groups, including sacred texts (Weda), religious and ethical treatises (Agama), healing manuals (Usada), calendrical, astronomical and astrological guides (Wariga), historical and genealogical records (Babad), and works related to performance and arts (Lelampahan), alongside epics, stories and illustrated materials.

Beyond literature, lontar functions as a store of religious ideas, ritual instruction, medicine, social rules and household knowledge. Contemporary observers note that some collections also preserve everyday notes and lists, reflecting their role in documenting ordinary life as well as formal traditions. The tradition distinguishes between the pangawi, or originating author, and the panedun, or copyist, whose work maintains continuity by recopying texts as leaves age and decay.

Living heritage

Both Candi Tebing Tegallinggah and lontar manuscripts are closely tied to ongoing practice rather than preserved solely as museum objects. Studies emphasise the temple’s continued use for worship and melukat within the Balinese Hindu community, even as conservationists warn of natural degradation and the need for better protection.

Lontar, meanwhile, remains accessible through family libraries, temple collections and institutions such as Museum Pustaka Lontar in the traditional village of Dukuh Penaban, Karangasem, which presents palm-leaf manuscripts documenting rules, procedures and techniques for matters ranging from ritual to agriculture.

During Saraswati celebrations, held twice a year in the Balinese calendar, lontar manuscripts are venerated as carriers of taksu, or sacred charisma, and as a medium for Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, reinforcing their status as an active source of guidance rather than a static archive.

For visitors and readers, the cliff sanctuary offers an embodied encounter with Bali’s ancient sacred landscape, while lontar provides a written path into its intellectual, ritual and domestic histories. Together they show how the island’s memory is embedded both in place and in text.

Sources

• Balai Pelestarian Cagar Budaya Bali – Kajian pengendalian keterancaman situs Candi Tebing Tegallinggah
• A Community-Based Tourism Bali Model at Candi Tebing Tegallinggah (academic article)
• Dinas Pariwisata Kabupaten Gianyar – Candi Tebing Tegallinggah
• Ubud.id – Candi Tebing Tegallinggah
• Basa Ibu Bali – Place Candi Tebing Tegallinggah
• Tinggalan Arkeologi di Daerah Aliran Sungai Pakerisan dan Petanu (compiled study)
• Agus Hendratno commentary on Candi Tebing Tegallinggah and Pakerisan river (LinkedIn post)
• Eksplorasi Sejarah, Arsitektur, dan Konservasi Candi Tebing Tegallinggah sebagai Warisan Budaya di Gianyar, Bali
• Candi Tegallinggah – Balinese Wikipedia entry
• Kawisesan – Palmleaf Scripture
• Neverneverland in Bali – Pustaka Lontar Museum
• NOW! Bali