Perang Pandan: the Pandan War of Tenganan

In the ancient village of Tenganan in East Bali, one of the last Bali Aga (original Balinese) communities, young men step into an arena and duel with bundles of thorny pandan leaves and small rattan shields, scratching each other’s backs while the village cheers and gamelan plays. It is called Mekare-kare, or Perang Pandan, the Pandan War, and it honours Indra, the Hindu god of war, as a rite of passage into manhood. There is blood, there is no anger, and afterwards the scratches are treated with a turmeric salve and everyone shares palm wine. It is one of the most extraordinary and genuinely ancient things you can witness in Bali.

Tenganan is also the only place in Indonesia that still makes gringsing, the sacred double-ikat cloth, so the whole event is a window into a culture that predates most of the Bali tourists ever see.

When and where

The Pandan War is the climax of Usaba Sambah, a month-long ceremony in the fifth month of Tenganan’s own calendar, and it runs over about two days, usually in late June or July. The village sets the exact dates close to the time and announces them only a few months ahead, so confirm before you build a day around it. Different parts of the village (Tenganan Pegringsingan and Tenganan Dauh Tukad) can run on slightly different days.

It happens only in Tenganan, in Karangasem, East Bali, about 3km inland from the coastal town of Candidasa and roughly a three-hour drive from the south. Tenganan Pegringsingan Village.

What you will see

The day builds through processions and ritual before the duels. Participants, from young boys to grown men, share palm wine from banana-leaf cups, then pair off one on one in the arena. Each holds a tight bundle of thorny pandan in one hand as a whip and a rattan shield in the other, and they grapple and strike at each other’s backs while a referee keeps order and the crowd roars. Rounds are short. The wounds are real but shallow, treated immediately with a traditional turmeric paste, and there is no grudge in any of it. Around the fighting, the women of the village appear in their finest gringsing cloth, and there is sacred dance, food and, in some years, a hand-turned wooden ritual swing.

How to enjoy it properly

Base yourself in Candidasa or the east. From the south it is a long drive, and the whole point of East Bali is to slow down. Stay a few nights in Candidasa, Sidemen or Amed and treat Tenganan as a morning, not a dash.

Confirm the dates locally before you commit. They move and are announced late. Ask your accommodation in the east to check for you.

Pay the village entry or donation and consider a local guide. Tenganan is a living community with its own strict customs, and a village guide will explain what you are seeing and where you can and cannot stand.

Be ready for the sight of blood. This is a real duel and the scratches bleed. If that is not for you, this is not your event. If it is, it is unforgettable.

Stand where you are directed, dress modestly, and stay out of the arena. Watch how the locals position themselves and follow their lead.

The shot

This is a telephoto event, shot from the edge of the arena, and one of the most powerful sets you can come home with.

The hero frame is two fighters mid-clash, the pandan bundle swinging, the shield up, faces locked in effort. A 70-200mm or longer lets you fill the frame from a safe, respectful distance and compress the crowd behind into a wall of faces. Fast shutter to freeze the strike.

Look beyond the fighting too: the gringsing textiles in close-up, the palm-wine pouring, the turmeric being dabbed on a fresh scratch, the women in ceremonial dress, the ritual swing if it is running. These quieter frames give the story its depth.

For Instagram: a tight, sharp duel frame mid-strike is the hero, raw and human, with the crowd soft behind. This is sensitive content, so caption it with context and respect, not as spectacle. Avoid drones entirely; it is a sacred ceremony in a tight village space.

A note on content: there is blood, so flag it for sensitive viewers, and never make a participant’s injury the punchline of a post.

Sean’s take

Sean’s take: Perang Pandan is the most powerful ritual I have photographed in Bali, and one of the least touristed, because it is three hours from the beach clubs and the dates are hard to pin down. That is exactly why it is worth it. Base yourself in the east, get the dates locked through your accommodation, hire a village guide, and shoot it long and respectful from the edge. You will come away understanding a side of Bali that almost no visitor ever reaches.