13 May 2009

Dewi Sri Goddess of Rice Pond

Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Dewi Sri Goddess of Rice PondDewi Sri Goddess of Rice Pond in Sepia

Here you can see the statue of Dewi Sri at The Goddess of Rice Pond at the Safari Garden Hotel & Restaurant. According to Wikipedia:

Dewi Sri is the goddess of rice on the island of Bali and Java. She has the power of the underworld and the moon. She controls the foodstuffs of the Earth and death. She is the mother of life because she symbolizes rice (the primary food of Indonesia). Highly revered especially by the Javanese, Balinese, and Sundanese people of Indonesia, there are a lot of versions of her legend in Indonesia, most of them involve Dewi Sri (also known as Dewi Asri, Nyi Pohaci, etc) and her brother Sedana (also known as Sadhana, Sadono, etc), set either in the kingdom of Medang Kamulan, or in the heaven (involving gods such as Batara Guru), or both. In all the versions in which Sedana appears along with Dewi Sri, they end up separated from each other, through either death, wandering, or a refusal to be married. Some versions made correlation between Sri and large snake of the rice field (ular sawah) and Sadhana with swallow (sriti). The traditional Javanese people in particular have a special place in their house dedicated for Dewi Sri, decorated with intricate carvings of snake, so that she will give prosperity for them. In the agricultural Javanese, a snake who entered a house won't be chased away as it is a sign for a success in harvest, and they will give it offerings instead. The Balinese provide special shrines in the rice fields for her. The Sundanese have a special festival dedicated to her.

Dewi Sri Goddess of Rice Pond2Waterbike Fun at Dewi Sri Goddess of Rice Pond

At the Dewi Sri Goddess of Rice Pond, you can rent water bikes and feed some big goldfish. If you are not in the mood to go on a water bike, you could just sit at the benches or under an umbrella or stand at the bridges while watching. The Safari Garden Hotel has also a pond with a little bird island on it and another one for fishing. It's too bad that I didn't have the time to get a photo of the last one. Have a great day, everyone!

Goldfish at Dewi Sri Goddess of Rice PondFeed the Big Goldfish


Thanks for hosting, Mary

Thanks for hosting, T. Bruce

Watery Wednesday
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28 appreciated note(s):

amanda guthrie said...

I really like the sepia one lots of texture! Another lovely shot!

Unknown said...

I love the rice fields of Bali. Can never tire of the picturesque landscape.

Unknown said...

i love the sepia treatment of the goddess. the photo of the pond is lovely...relaxing.

Audun said...

The sepia version looks great, and I love the one of the fish. Thanks for sharing

Marie Reed said...

This was such a joy to read! I think it's a great idea to let the kids pick!

Anonymous said...

What awesome pictures. I'm so glad you are sharing your Safari Garden Hotel pictures with us...It is beautiful. And what a wonderful mother letting her children decide on the pictures :) How wonderful. Aloha my friend :)

Midlife, menopause, mistakes and random stuff... said...

On my Rosidah........I love these snaps and the history about the Goddess!!
Awwwwwww....that's so sweet about letting the kiddos choose. They did well with this pick :)
Are you shootin this week for "Friday Shoot-Outs"?
Hit me back at my blog so I don't miss your answer.
Have a brilliant day my friend and I always love to see your snaps of Indonesia. So mesmerising.....

Steady On
Reggie Girl

Pamposh Dhar said...

Fabulous fish, Rosidah! Great shot. I remember fish like that in a pond near Puncak.

Unknown said...

Ha, they are all so beautiful photos. And the idioms are great.

Ria said...

i like the sepia version better! so much more dramatic and it lends a lot to the story behind it.

Kahshe Cottager said...

It was nice to see both versions of your photo. The sepia version made me think I was looking at something very old and it made it a little more exotic for me. The coloured vrsion was lovely as well and I had a different appreciation of the photo. I like how the stream of water looks in both versions.

Anonymous said...

The fishies are PERFECT for WW! I love feeding those guys at Shaw's garden when we go in St Louis just north of where I live. I used to go w/ my grandparents when they were alive & they'd let me stand there & feed them as long as I wanted to - I miss g'ma & g'pa!

Your fountain photo is very cool! Is that little peddle boats in the background on the water? Those are fun too - Me & my g'ma went out on one of those one time at Dogpatch USA south of where I live in Arkansas. I loved vacations w/ my grandparents

Thumbelina said...

Love the sepia tones on the statue and the goldfish! I play both these too.
Come over and see mine - if you don't go through Mr. Linky to get to my blog then please scroll down when you get there for the sepia or watery wednesday shot. Thanks.

Tammie Lee said...

I enjoyed learning about this goddess and the images of her also. The fish photo is lovely.

2sweetnsaxy said...

What a lovely place to spend some time. And thanks for the info about the goddess. :-)

Danielle said...

Great in color and sepia! Nice shot!

Ralph said...

This statue is beautiful, and is so unique - never to be found in the USA, as it is unique to be found in Indonesia. And I really like these truly GOLD goldfish.

I would just relax and take in all the sights all day. Relax indeed!

EG CameraGirl said...

Your kids chose well! I like the sepia version because I'm not distracted by all the colours. Very nice. ;-)

Anonymous said...

the sepia version is great. i think letting the kids select your posts works well, they chose a very good photo.

VALKYRIEN said...

Lovely shots Rosidah! I must admit I like the fountain in color more than sepia, but that is my opinion! That is a beautiful shot!

And your goldfish is so cute!
And I am impressed about how many memes you participate in! How do you keep it up?

Have a great day/night/week! :)

RA said...

@ Tricia: Lovely memories. Yes, those are paddle boats :).

Paula said...

It was the perfect choice, your kids have great taste. Thanks for the info on the goddess.

Unknown said...

Great shots and I love the sepia one.

Your kids made a good choice and the information about the Goddess is interesting!

Anonymous said...

Very interesting, The Goddess of rice. The very first time I'm hearing of this Goddess :)
Thanks for sharing the info on her.

Manz said...

I'm sure your children love being asked and being involved... tell them that they chose well :)

It sounds like a very peaceful place to visit.

kayerj said...

so beautiful. I always love the way you include a story and the original picture. Hope you can stop by to see my sepia scene Thanks!

Annie Jeffries said...

Very peaceful Sepia. And I love your koi.

maryt/theteach said...

Great Sepia shot! Lovely garden, Rosidah! :)