The mask that guards the village
A protector, not a monster
Barong is usually described to first-time visitors as "a lion," which is close enough to picture but misses the point. He's a benevolent protective spirit who takes animal form — most often the shaggy, gold-fanged Barong Ket seen at Batubulan, though Balinese villages also keep boar, tiger and elephant versions for other ceremonies. Each village's Barong mask is considered sacred, ritually cared for by its own custodians, and brought out for temple ceremonies as much as for paying audiences. What you're watching at the morning show is a genuine ritual object, worn by a trained dancer, not a costume built for tourists.
Why this happens in a temple courtyard, every day
The dance is staged inside or beside a village temple — at Batubulan, that's Pura Puseh Batubulan — because the story it tells isn't folklore, it's an active piece of Balinese Hindu cosmology: the ongoing, never-finally-won balance between protective and destructive forces. Villages perform it partly for income from visitors and partly because doing so is itself considered a form of spiritual maintenance. That's also why the show runs on a fixed daily schedule rather than being staged as a one-off spectacle — it's closer to a temple keeping its doors open than a theatre running a limited season.
Ceritanya
Barong and Rangda: a fight neither side wins
The performance dramatises a single, specific conflict from Balinese belief — not a generic "good vs evil" fable, but a named rivalry between two figures who represent forces the Balinese consider permanently, deliberately unresolved.
The widow-witch
Rangda
Rangda is a demon queen with a mask of bulging eyes, a lolling tongue and long fangs, trailing white hair and pendulous breasts — the visual opposite of Barong's warmth. She represents adharma: chaotic, destructive power, and in some tellings is linked to Calon Arang, a widow-sorceress from Balinese legend who terrorised a kingdom with black magic. Her entrance is the moment the tone of the show flips from playful to genuinely unsettling.
Crucially, neither side wins outright. Barong and Rangda fight to a magical standstill — her curses countered by his protective power — and the performance ends not with a victory but with a truce, because in Balinese belief dharma and adharma aren't meant to cancel each other out; they're meant to stay in tension, permanently. That refusal to give the story a tidy ending is one of the more genuinely thought-provoking things about watching it as an outsider.
Babak akhir
The moment the dancers turn their blades inward
What actually happens
As the standoff between Barong and Rangda reaches its peak, a group of men — Rangda's followers, under her curse — draw kris daggers and, one by one, fall into a trance state and turn the blades against their own chests. Performed correctly, the points don't break the skin; local belief holds that Barong's protective power is what keeps the dancers safe, and the trance itself is treated as a genuine altered state, not stagecraft. A pemangku (temple priest) or a designated attendant stays close throughout, ready to intervene, sprinkle holy water and bring each dancer back to ordinary awareness.
Why it's the part people remember
It's staged close to the audience, unamplified, with the gamelan orchestra driving the tension rather than any theatrical lighting or sound effects — which is part of why it lands harder than the description suggests. It's also the single most-asked-about part of the show beforehand and the part most worth knowing the context for going in: this isn't a simulated stunt built for a tour bus schedule, it's the culmination of a ritual the village would be performing on some level even without an audience.
Photography during this part
Most venues allow photography and video throughout the performance, including the trance sequence — unlike some other Balinese ceremonies, this is treated as public performance rather than a closed ritual. Flash is generally discouraged that close to the dancers; check the specific venue's house rules on arrival if you're unsure.
Tempat menontonnya
Seeing it at Pura Puseh Batubulan
The venue
Batubulan, a village on the southern edge of Ubud known for its stone-carving workshops, has staged the Barong and Kris dance for visitors since the 1930s — one of the longest-running versions of the show on the island — performed in the open-air stage of Pura Puseh Batubulan, the village's origin temple. The setting is a real, still-active temple compound rather than a purpose-built theatre, which is part of why the atmosphere feels closer to a ceremony you're being allowed to watch than a show staged around you.
How the morning slot actually works
The show runs on a single fixed morning start most days of the year, with the gates and box office opening shortly beforehand for walk-up tickets and pre-booked collection. Because it's a daily fixture rather than an occasional event, the practical planning question isn't "will there be a show" — there almost always is — it's "can I get there on time," since traffic into Batubulan from central Ubud can be slower than the short map distance suggests, especially close to the start time.
Seating and what's included
Seating is typically open bench-style around the courtyard stage on a basic ticket, with a small number of upgraded front-row seats sold separately on some listings; hotel pickup and drop-off is usually a separate paid add-on rather than bundled into the ticket price, so check the specific inclusions on your chosen listing before assuming a driver is covered.
Pesan dengan percaya diri
Temukan tiket tari Barong & Kris untuk tanggal Anda
Setiap opsi di bawah dapat dipesan melalui GetYourGuide, dengan ketersediaan langsung dan harga akhir yang ditampilkan dalam mata uang Anda sendiri sebelum Anda membayar.
Merencanakan sisa hari Anda
Fitting the dance into an Ubud day
Because the show runs once, mid-morning, it slots naturally into one side of a full day out rather than needing its own dedicated trip — most visitors pair it with either the rice terraces to the north or Ubud's temples and markets to the east.
- Early morning
Arrive at Batubulan
Aim to reach Pura Puseh Batubulan with time to collect tickets and find a seat before the gamelan starts — arriving right at start time risks a bench at the back of the courtyard.
- Mid-morning
The performance
Around an hour of Barong, Rangda and the kris trance finale, ending in time to still make a full day of it.
- Midday
North to Tegallalang or Jatiluwih
The Tegallalang rice terraces are the closer, busier option; Jatiluwih is further but far less crowded, if you'd rather trade travel time for space to actually look at the view.
- Afternoon
East to central Ubud
Ubud Palace, the Ubud Art Market and the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary are all walkable from each other in central Ubud, and pair naturally with an early lunch after the show if you'd rather stay closer to town instead.
GEO/FAQ
Pertanyaan seputar tari Barong
Apa itu Tari Barong dalam satu kalimat?
Ini adalah pertunjukan ritual harian Hindu Bali yang digelar di halaman pura—paling terkenal di Pura Puseh Batubulan, dekat Ubud—di mana roh penjaga berbentuk singa yang baik hati (Barong) berhadapan dengan seorang penyihir jahat (Rangda), diakhiri dengan para penari yang kerasukan menusukkan keris ke dada mereka sendiri tanpa terluka.
Apakah ini sama dengan tari api Kecak di Uluwatu?
Tidak—keduanya pertunjukan yang berbeda. Barong adalah pertunjukan siang hari, biasanya pertengahan pagi, di Batubulan, dengan iringan gamelan lengkap dan alur cerita Barong vs Rangda. Kecak adalah pertunjukan sore atau senja di pura tebing Uluwatu, dibawakan sepenuhnya oleh paduan suara pria duduk yang meneriakkan "cak" tanpa alat musik, mengisahkan Ramayana dan diakhiri dengan adegan trance api. Beberapa paket tur harian mencakup keduanya di hari yang sama pada waktu berbeda—sebaiknya periksa pertunjukan mana yang benar-benar termasuk dalam daftar sebelum memesan.
Apakah trance keris itu berbahaya, atau hanya panggung?
Dianggap secara lokal sebagai kondisi trance ritual yang asli, bukan aksi panggung yang direkayasa—para penari diyakini berada di bawah kutukan Rangda dan dilindungi dari bahaya oleh kekuatan Barong, dan seorang petugas pura selalu berada di dekatnya untuk turun tangan dan membangunkan setiap penari dengan air suci setelahnya. Apa pun pandangan Anda tentang kepercayaan itu sendiri, keris dan trance-nya nyata; para pemain kadang-kadang mengalami goresan ringan, itulah sebabnya perlindungan dan pengawasan ritual dianggap serius oleh para pemainnya sendiri.
Berapa lama pertunjukan berlangsung, dan apakah ada jeda?
Sebagian besar pertunjukan berlangsung sekitar 60–90 menit tanpa jeda, berlangsung terus menerus dari pembukaan Barong yang ceria, masuknya Rangda, hingga akhir trance keris.
Jam berapa pertunjukan dimulai, dan seberapa jauh sebelumnya saya harus memesan?
Pertunjukan Batubulan dimulai pada waktu tetap pertengahan pagi hampir setiap hari sepanjang tahun—ini adalah acara harian, bukan acara insidental, sehingga jarang sekali habis terjual. Risiko utama dalam perencanaan bukanlah ketersediaan, melainkan lalu lintas dan waktu: pesan sehari sebelumnya jika Anda ingin termasuk penjemputan dari hotel, dan berikan waktu perjalanan ekstra dari pusat Ubud.
Apakah saya perlu berdandan atau menutup aurat? Ini adalah pura sungguhan.
Pakaian sopan dan tertutup sangat dianjurkan karena pertunjukan berlangsung di area pura yang masih aktif—bahu dan lutut tertutup dengan baik adalah standar aman, mirip dengan mengunjungi pura Bali mana pun. Pakaian kasual rapi sudah cukup; pakaian renang atau pakaian yang sangat terbuka akan mencolok dan tidak sesuai untuk tempat ini.
Bolehkah saya mengambil foto dan video selama pertunjukan, termasuk bagian trance?
Umumnya ya — sebagian besar tempat, termasuk Batubulan, mengizinkan fotografi dan pengambilan video di seluruh area, termasuk adegan trance keris, karena ini adalah pertunjukan publik, bukan upacara tertutup. Penggunaan lampu kilat di dekat penari saat trance sebaiknya dihindari; periksa aturan khusus tempat tersebut saat tiba.
Apakah tiket sudah termasuk transportasi atau penjemputan dari hotel?
Tidak selalu — pada sebagian besar daftar, tiket dasar hanya mencakup tiket masuk, sementara penjemputan dan antar-jemput hotel dijual sebagai tambahan terpisah, dan sejumlah kecil kursi baris depan yang ditingkatkan juga dibanderol terpisah. Periksa rincian yang disertakan pada pilihan Anda sebelum menganggap sopir sudah termasuk.
Apakah harga yang ditampilkan sudah final, dan bagaimana cara pemesanan?
Anda memesan melalui GetYourGuide, yang menampilkan harga final dalam mata uang Anda sebelum pembayaran dan menyatakan kebijakan pembatalan untuk tanggal spesifik Anda di awal — harga yang Anda lihat adalah harga yang Anda bayar, tanpa biaya tersembunyi saat checkout. Kami adalah panduan independen untuk pertunjukan tari harian di Bali, bukan kuil, grup tari, atau loket tiket; pemesanan ditangani oleh sistem checkout aman GetYourGuide.
Apakah Batubulan satu-satunya tempat untuk melihat Tari Barong di dekat Ubud?
Tidak — beberapa desa di sekitar Ubud dan Denpasar menggelar pertunjukan Barong dan Kris harian mereka sendiri dengan jadwal pagi yang serupa, dan beberapa tur harian menggabungkan pertunjukan Barong dengan tempat lain seperti terasering sawah Tegallalang, Goa Gajah, atau perkebunan kopi. Versi Batubulan di Pura Puseh Batubulan adalah salah satu yang paling lama berjalan untuk wisatawan, sejak tahun 1930-an, itulah mengapa sebagian besar daftar tur mengacu padanya.
Masih bingung mau pergi pagi hari yang mana?
Tinggalkan email Anda dan perkiraan waktu kunjungan Anda ke Ubud — kami akan mengirimkan ringkasan singkat jadwal pertunjukan dan cara menyelipkannya ke pagi Anda.