Exploring Gerih Traditional Village: Gerih Heritage and Cultural Traces
Up to the present time, there are at least 1500 traditional villages scattered across 9 regencies/cities in the province of Bali. Each traditional village has its own territory, traditions, customs, rules (awig-awig), stories, and unique characteristics. One of the traditional villages with uniqueness and interesting stories is Gerih Traditional Village located in the Abiansemal District, Badung Regency. This traditional village covers an area of at least 1500 hectares, which is further divided into 2 community halls, namely Purwakerta Community Hall and Dirgahayu Community Hall. There are many interesting things to be found in this traditional village, such as Beji Pura Taman Langse, which is a source of water for both the community's livelihood and ceremonial purposes, serving as a sacred water source for temples without their own gardens. The Village Temple (Pura Desa) and Ancestral Temple (Pura Puseh) are unique as they are located in the same area. Skilled artisans in Belong crafting can skillfully transform waste from slate and tile production into beautiful Belong ornaments. Additionally, the skilled hands of Destar weavers in Gerih Traditional Village produce exquisite ceremonial headscarves known as destar.
