Was it an elephant rolling around? Or guardians watching over a sacred place? The name Peguyangan Kaja has an interesting story. It is a village in Denpasar Utara. Let me tell you about its possible origins.
The name Peguyangan Kaja may come from a story about an elephant. The elephant Kyai Panji Sakti was rolling around. In Balinese, this is called maguyang. The place where the elephant was maguyang became known as Peguyangan.
Another story connects Peguyangan Kaja to an ancient inscription. This inscription is found at Pura Dalem Batan Celagi. It mentions people who were given the task of menjaga tempat hyang. This means they were guarding a sacred place. To guard this place they had to be pageh which means steadfast. The words pageh and hyang may have combined to form the name Peguyangan.
Peguyangan Kaja is more than just a name. It is also a desa or village. Desa Peguyangan Kaja has 11 banjar dinas or neighborhoods. These include Dusun Denyeh Dusun Den Biyu and Dusun Punduh Kulit. There is also Dusun Pondok and Dusun Uma Desa. We also have Dusun Belusung and Dusun Batur. Dusun Dualang Dusun Saih and Dusun Gunung complete the list. Finally there is Dusun Paang Tebel.
In 2016 Peguyangan Kaja had over 31000 residents. There were slightly more women than men. The sex ratio was 96. This means there were 96 men for every 100 women.
Peguyangan Kaja is also part of Desa Pakraman Peguyangan. This is a traditional Balinese village. The community here still holds onto the old ways.
Water is essential for life. The subak manages it well. In Peguyangan Kaja there is Subak Pakel. This subak has 229 rice fields. The irrigation channels stretch for 10000 meters. About 150 farmers are part of this subak.
Pura Desa Peguyangan is a significant temple complex here. It includes Pura Bale Agung Pura Penyarikan Pura Puseh and Pura Manik Tahun Peguyangan. The pura is laid out in three sections. These are jaba sisi jaba tengah and jeroan. Each section has a different level of holiness. The piodalan ceremony is held every Redite Wuku Sinta which is Banyu Pinaruh.
Inside Pura Desa Peguyangan you can find interesting artifacts. There is a gapura or kori agung which serves as the gate. There is also a lumpang batu or stone mortar. The pura also features batu monolit stones. You can also see arca statues and kemuncak sudut atap candi which are the finials from a temple roof. These objects tell stories about the past. Some locals believe that the kemuncak sudut atap candi are the fists of Ki Kebo Iwa a mythical figure.
It is believed that around the 13th or 14th century there was an ancient temple located around Peguyangan Kaja. This assumption is supported by the discovery of fragments of the temple roof buildings at Pura Desa Puseh Manik Tahun and Penyarikan Peguyangan.