The Margarana (“Battle of Marga”) memorial park honors a regiment of guerrilla fighters killed by a Dutch ground attack and aerial bombardment shortly after World War II ended.
This monument is located in Marga, 15 km northeast of Tabanan.
The Balinese whom were armed only with sharpened bamboo poles far outnumbered the Dutch but the great spirit of independence led them to the victory. The aristocratic leader of this futile last stand was Lt. Col. I Gusti Ngurah Rai. His name is now commemorated on street signs all over the island and Bali’s main international airport is named in his honor. In the middle of this monument is a 17 meter tall, 8 roofed monument shaped like a Javanese candi, it symbolized the unity of the fallen revolutionaries in their fight for freedom.
It’s not just a regular tourist stop, it’s worth a visit for its reverential atmosphere.
How to get to Margarana :
1. 1.5 hours from Denpasar
2. 30 minutes from Tabanan
3. 1.5 hours from Kuta
What you can see around Margarana :
1. Monkey Forest Kedaton, Alas Kedaton or “Holy Monkey Forest” is a small Forest measuring about 12, 00 ha. There are hundreds of monkeys in this forest and high up on the big trees many bats ate hanging and singing with their loud voices. In this Forest is an old temple what we called Dalem Kahyangan Kedaton Temple is one of the important and attractive temples amongst thousand of temples all over Bali.
2. Taman Ayun Temple, The huge state temple of Pura Taman Ayun surrounded by a wide moat, was the main temple of Mengwi kingdom, which survived until 1891 when it was conquered by the neighboring kingdoms of Tabanan and Badung. The temple was originally built in 1634 and extensively renovated in 1937. It’s very large and spacious, and the elegant moat is an unusual feature. The first courtyard is a large, open grassy expanse and the inner courtyard has a multitude of Merus (multi-tiered shrines).
3. Bali Butterfly Park is one of the biggest butterfly parks in Southeast Asia. Find out the beautiful scenery by seeing a thousand species of butterflies from throughout Indonesia.This park offers many different kind of colors, shapes and sizes.
