After visiting Pura Luhur Batukau we drove along a winding road through the Jatiouwith Ricce Fields and got a chance to get out and walk a little. As I mentioned in the last post, they, and the whole rice growing culture with its terraced infrastructure, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The water starts in mountain springs and lakes. Some of those springs are at temples or shrines to provide “holy water.” The water is directed through channels to the terraces and runs steadily down toward the Timor Sea.
The rice growing culture is controlled by the different villages in the area. The land gets multiple use. Next to some of the paddies are chicken farms. The chickens are fed rice and corn (corn is sometimes alternated with rice in the fields. When we saw corn growing the water did not stand in the fields.) The manure goes back to the fields, by products are eggs and chickens. Along the paddies coconut and clove trees provide food and spice for the village. There are shrines and temples in the fields. They are called functional shrines. They serve the specific function of helping the rice grow.
We left the terraces and headed for Pura Tamam Ayun.
