Penglipuran Village Named National Cultural Preservation Model

Bangli — Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture has formally designated Penglipuran Traditional Village in Bangli, Bali, as a national model for cultural preservation and a Desa Pemajuan Kebudayaan, highlighting its use of customary law and local wisdom to manage tourism and community life.

The recognition was announced by the ministry’s Secretary-General, Bambang Wibawarta, during a ceremony in Bangli in late August 2025, where officials also launched a plan to build a Cultural Advancement Village monument in Penglipuran as a public marker of the village’s status.

Officials describe Penglipuran’s example as grounded in governance, values and everyday practice rather than in published performance indicators such as visitor numbers or income statistics.

What officials praised

According to the ministry’s statements reported by national media, Penglipuran was singled out for its long-standing commitment to maintaining traditions and local wisdom while opening to cultural tourism.

The village’s customary legal system, known as awig-awig, is central to this assessment. Regional commentary and tourism information explain that Penglipuran’s awig-awig is rooted in the Balinese Hindu principle of Tri Hita Karana, which emphasises harmonious relations between humans and the divine, among community members and with the natural environment.

Government and tourism materials note that this framework shapes the village’s physical layout and daily management, supporting a clean streetscape, distinctive traditional houses and a regulated use of public space that together form a recognisable cultural identity.

One widely discussed rule in Penglipuran’s awig-awig is a strict ban on polygamy. Legal analyses and tourism descriptions state that men and women in the village are prohibited from having more than one spouse, with violations subject to social and customary sanctions, including relocation to a special area known as Karang Memadu and exclusion from certain communal services.

Recognition and tourism expectations

Coverage of the ceremony in Bangli indicates that the Ministry of Culture sees Penglipuran’s designation as a way to promote cultural tourism and to raise public awareness of the need to safeguard intangible heritage.

The ministry’s assessment positions Penglipuran not only as a tourist attraction but as an example of how a community can use customary institutions to manage space, uphold social norms and preserve ritual practices while engaging with visitors.

Regional officials have described Penglipuran as a strategic asset for Bangli Regency’s tourism portfolio, noting that the village is frequently included in official tourism campaigns and will host delegations as part of cultural diplomacy events linked to the national Culture, Heritage, Arts, Narratives, Diplomacy, and Innovations (CHANDI) programme.

Location and village characteristics

Penglipuran is a traditional Bali Aga village located in Kubu, Bangli Regency, in Bali’s highlands.

National tourism information describes it as accessible from Ngurah Rai International Airport in around 1.5 hours by road, and notes that the village has maintained its traditional spatial pattern, architecture and ritual life under the guidance of its Bendesa Adat and customary institutions.

These sources characterise Penglipuran as a "tourism village" whose appeal rests on its orderly streets, uniform gate architecture, car-free main lane and continued observance of customary rules rather than on large-scale commercial development.

Why the model matters

For communities balancing cultural continuity and tourism, Penglipuran’s model illustrates how written awig-awig and a clear philosophical framework such as Tri Hita Karana can guide decisions about land use, housing, social behaviour and visitor access.

Researchers of Penglipuran’s customary law note that codifying rules on marriage, sanctions and spatial segregation has allowed the village to maintain social cohesion and distinctive norms, including monogamy, even as tourism exposure has increased.

At the same time, available official and media reports on the Ministry of Culture’s designation focus on symbolic recognition and cultural narratives rather than on quantitative indicators such as visitor volumes, conservation metrics or household tourism income.

Penglipuran’s new status and planned inscription thus function as a national endorsement of its approach to cultural governance, while leaving open questions about how the model is measured, how benefits are shared and how visitor pressures are managed over time.

Sources

• detik.com - "Kemenbud Resmikan Desa Adat Panglipuran sebagai Desa Pemajuan Kebudayaan"
• merdeka.com - "Trivia Desa Penglipuran Bali: Larangan Poligami dan Pelestarian Budaya yang Diapresiasi Kemenbud"
• News USA Today - "Bali's Penglipuran: Cultural Preservation Model"
• Bangli Regency Tourism Office - "Desa Penglipuran"
• Indonesia.travel (Indonesian) - "Desa Wisata Penglipuran"
• Wikipedia - "Penglipuran"
• IDN Times - "Desa di Bali larang poligami"
• Kompasiana - "Intip Regulasi yang ada di Balik Keelokan Desa Wisata Panglipuran"
• ITS Repository - Undergraduate Thesis on Desa Adat Penglipuran awig-awig
• Jurnal Interpretasi Hukum - Article on Penglipuran polygamy ban