Denpasar

The name Denpasar – from the Balinese words "den", meaning north, and "pasar", meaning market – indicates the city's origins as a market-town, on the site of what is now Kumbasari Market (formerly "Peken Payuk"), in the northern part of the modern city.[6]

Denpasar is located at an elevation of 4 m (13 ft) above sea level. While the total area of 125.98 km² or 2.18% of the total area of Bali Province. From the use of land, 2,768 hectares of land are paddy, 10,001 hectares are dry land, while the remaining land area is 9 hectares.

Badung River divides Denpasar, after which the river empties into the Gulf of Benoa.[10]

The city's population was counted as 788,445 in 2010, up from 533,252 in the previous decade. The official estimate as at mid 2022 was 726,808.[1]

Denpasar's population grew about 4% per year in the period from 2000 to 2010, Denpasar grew much faster from 2005 to 2010 than in the previous five years. The lingering effects of the 2002 Bali bombings had a major depressive effect on tourism, jobs, and immigration from other islands. If current trends had continued, Denpasar had been expected to easily surpass a million residents by the next census in 2020. The 2015 intercensal survey (SUPAS) claimed a population of 879,098 people for the city,[13] but the 2020 Census demonstrated that the population had actually fallen to 725,314.[14] There were some 7,098 more men than women in Denpasar in mid 2022.

Approximately 63.3% of the population are Hindus (BPS 2020), while Islam is the largest minority religion (28.65%), followed by Christianity (6.45%), Buddhism (1.47%), and Confucianism (0.03%).[4]

Administratively, the city government consists of four districts (kecamatan), subdivided into 43 villages. Denpasar has developed numerous measures to improve public services.[16]

Badung Market in Denpasar.

The development of tourism and structural changes in the economy have had a strong impact on Denpasar. Trade, hotels, and restaurants dominate the city's gross regional domestic product.[18]

Also boosting the economy of Denpasar is the production of craft items such as souvenir carvings and sculptures. The craft industry, however, is experiencing pressure due to the impact of the global financial crises and competition from other Asian developing countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, India, Malaysia and China. These competitor countries maximize the scale of production by utilizing industrial technology, while at Denpasar the craft industry remains focused on traditional skills and hand-made goods, limiting the quantity of production.

Bali was once known for its mud walls and thatched gates but gated residential developments and shop houses now characterize urban Bali. [19]

During the late 19th century, the built environment was being constructed based on the political situation of the city. This resulted in the residence of the ruling family becoming the centre of the city.[20]

Market squares played an important role in the Badung kingdom, and it continued to do so when the colonial powers came to exert control over Bali. Over the course of the 20th century, Denpasar faced the challenges of changing urban landscapes brought about by political changes. The developments that were brought about by the colonial powers were regarded as eroding the indigenous culture of Bali. Although Denpasar became known as a 'settler city', there was still a strong attachment to the indigenous culture.[21]

Denpasar has undergone massive unplanned development during the 21st century, due to the expansion of tourism leading to the construction of increasingly more modern facilities in the heart of the city. Nonetheless, the market square still plays an important role, with its façade representing traditional elements of the Balinese culture.

Sanur Beach

Denpasar has various attractions. The white sandy beaches are well-known all over the island. The surfing beach is Serangan Island. Sanur beach has calmer waters and is excellent for sunbathing and kitesurfing.

Ten minutes from the Ngurah Rai International Airport lies the town of Kuta (within Badung Regency not administratively under the city jurisdiction), where most of the hotels, restaurants, malls, cafes, marketplaces, and spas that cater to tourists are located. In the Denpasar area, all kinds of Balinese handicrafts are represented in local shops. These include artwork, pottery, textiles, and silver. Batik cloth is sold all over Denpasar, and batik sarongs and men's shirts are widely available.

Denpasar has several notable universities and institutions. Some of them are

• Udayana University
• Warmadewa University
• University of National Education
• Dwijendra University
• Mahasaraswati University of Denpasar
• Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Denpasar
• Universitas Terbuka or Indonesia Open University, the only distance learning public university in Denpasar, providing distance education to its students.[22]

Denpasar has hosted numerous international and national sporting events. Denpasar was the venue for 2008 Asian Beach Games in Bali. Denpasar also held 2009 Asian Archery Championships.

In football, Denpasar is home to the football club Perseden Denpasar,[31] which plays in the Liga 3.

While arts and culture in Denpasar are largely synonymous with that of Hindu art and culture, there has also been a high level of interaction with other cultures that accompanied the arrival of visitors from all walks of life. Traditional values inspired by Hindu religious rituals still strongly influence the city.[32]

Traditional Balinese culture is still deeply rooted in Denpasar. It may include values, norms and behavior in society based on patrilineal kinship systems. However, over time many of the customary laws have been disputed by people, especially regarding matters of gender and inheritance.[33]

Denpasar has various sights to offer:

• Pura Jagatnatha is the most important Hindu temple of Denpasar. It was built in 1953.[34]
• Puri Pemecutan is the former royal palace of Denpasar, which was destroyed in a fire during the Dutch intervention in Bali (1906).[35] The palace was rebuilt in a comparatively modest style and can be visited.
• Pura Maospahit is a Hindu temple that was built in the 14th century and heavily damaged by the 1917 Bali earthquake and rebuilt afterward.[36] The temple houses two impressive statues of Garuda and Batara Bayu, a mystic giant.
• Pura Pengerebongan as one of the Hindu temples in Denpasar whose existence is very strongly related to the history of the palace in Kesiman. The temple is located on Jalan WR. Supratman, Denpasar, has a unique history and traditional tradition, namely Ngerebong trance bulk which is held every Redite Pon Medangsia.
• St. Joseph Church is a Roman Catholic church built in a Hindu style.
• Denpasar City Tour There's no better way to take a deep dive into the rich cultural heritage of Bali, both historical and contemporary, than via this exploration of the island's most populous city.
• Bajra Sandhi Monument is a major landmark in Denpasar, set right in the centre of the Renon Square (otherwise locally referred to simply as, 'Puputan Renon'). The site is adjacent to the Bali Governor's office and is hard to miss with its grand structure that resembles a Balinese Hindu priest's praying bell, or 'bajra'. Inside the base is a museum that displays various historical dioramas of the people's past struggle for independence.

Denpasar is twinned with:

• Palembang, Indonesia
• Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico
• Gran Canaria, Spain
• Phuket, Thailand
• Haikou, China[38]
• George Town, Malaysia

• Bali Museum
• Denpasar International Airport
• List of twin towns and sister cities in Indonesia

• Denpasar travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official site