Lombok - General Information

GENERAL INFORMATION

Part of West Nusa Tenggara, Lombok lies across the straits from Bali. Still unspoiled, it has some of the culture and arts of the Balinese and is easily accessible by ferry and by air from Bali. An island of 4,594 square

km, Lombok was formerly a Kingdom, with its capital Mataram. The population comprises of the Sasaks whose main religion is Islam and the western part of the island is inhabited by Balinese, where the Hindu way of life prevails, complete with ancient temples. The island's attraction is its white sand beaches, the summer palace at Narmada and the floating court of Justice at Taman Mayura. The summer palace dates back to 1805, built by Balinese monarch of Karangasem, and has beautiful terraced gardens, bathing pools and a lake panoramic view of the countryside.

Mataram and Cakranegara
Mataram is the capital of the province, which has in the past decades joined with Ampenan, the Airport and Cakranegara to become the province's biggest urban complex. At around the beginning of the 18th century, Mataram was the residence

of the crown prince of Karangasem, A kingdom in southern Bali. The ruler himself had his seat in Cakranegara. The Royal Palace no longer exists, but many of the old temples and pleasure gardens are still there.

Narmada
Taman Narmada, 11 kilometers east of Mataram, was built in 1727 by King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Karangasem as both a pleasure gardens and place to worship Shiva. Its big pool is said to represent Segara Anakan, the Crater Lake on the Volcano Rinjani where they used to make offerings by throwing valuables into the water. As the become too old to make the pilgrimage up the 3,726 meters high mountain, he had Narmada made to represent the mountain and the lake. Near the pond is a place of worship and a spring whose water is believed to give dedicated pilgrims eternal youth.

Pura Meru
Another relic remaining from the Karangasem Kingdom is the Meru Temple at Cakranegara, close to Mataram. The temple was built in 1720 during Anak Agung Ngurah Made's rule as a symbol of Hindu unity on Lombok Island. Several structures are found in this complex, all of them designated to function for particular purposes including the 33 stalls located next to the main temple.