Budakeling Village, Karangasem: Buddhist Brahmin Priests and Silversmiths Below Mount Agung

Seven kilometres north of Amlapura, ten minutes from Tirta Gangga, the road narrows between salak orchards and opens onto a hill village at about 400 metres above sea level: Budakeling Village, Bebandem District, Karangasem Regency. It almost never appears on a tourist itinerary, yet this is one of Bali's oldest centres of Siwa-Buddha tradition and a silversmithing village working far from the crowds of Celuk.

The Legacy of Danghyang Astapaka

The village name comes from Buda (Buddha) and Keling, the ancestral region in Java. What makes Budakeling special is not grand architecture but a priestly lineage still very much alive.

• Danghyang Astapaka — a Buddhist pandita, son of Danghyang Angsoka and nephew of Danghyang Nirartha (Ida Pedanda Sakti Wawu Rauh). Invited to Bali by King Dalem Waturenggong, he later settled in Budakeling in the 15th–16th century.
• Pura Taman Tanjung and Pura Taman Sari are cared for by his descendants, the Brahmana Buddha; the major rites are held only once every thirty years or so.
• Griya Taman Sari and Griya Demung still produce Buddhist pedanda who officiate in pairs with Shaivite pedanda.
• Ida Pedanda Made Sidemen (1858–1984), the poet-priest born in Sanur who spent his working life in Budakeling.

Silver, Gold and Workshops in the Family Courtyard

Budakeling has long been known for high-quality silver alongside Celuk, but it looks nothing alike: no air-conditioned showrooms, just home industry with small hammers, blow-torch flames and hand chasing.

• Silver, gold and metal forging follow family hours — morning to late afternoon, not shop hours.
• Many workshops sit inside private compounds; ask permission before entering or photographing.

Interfaith Megibung at Saren Jawa

On one side of the village stands Banjar Saren Jawa, a centuries-old Muslim hamlet with two revered mosques whose tiered roofs echo Balinese temples, and the tomb of Raden Kiyai Abdul Djalil, a scholar from Demak. Every 10 Muharram residents hold a haul and invite their Hindu neighbours to eat together. The megibung tradition — eating in a circle from one shared tray — crosses religious lines here.

Practical Info & Booking

• Location: View on Google Maps
• Hours & tickets: the village is open all day and charges no entrance fee; carry a voluntary punia donation of around IDR 20,000–50,000 if you enter a temple or are received by a pemangku.
• Route: Amlapura ±15 minutes (7 km), Tirta Gangga ±10 minutes, Candidasa ±45 minutes, Amed ±40 minutes, Denpasar ±2 hours.
• Booking: simply turn up; for a silver workshop visit or permission to watch a ceremony, contact the Budakeling village office via the official site budakeling.desa.id.
• Etiquette: wear a sarong and sash in temple areas, ask before photographing a pedanda or a ceremony, and stay out of temples if ritually impure (cuntaka).
• Social: search on Instagram

Budakeling works best as an unhurried half day from an East Bali base; compare rates and book your stay voucher for Candidasa, Amed or Sidemen through AccessiaPass so the drive back never feels rushed.