Pondok Idanna

Sidemen Valley has always held profound significance for the Balinese. Over centuries, it has been the all- important pilgrimage route during Besakih ceremonies and contains the highest number of pedandas or Brahman high priests per capita in Bali. Because of its sophisticated, traditional irrigation system—managed by the subak village water councils—the area is being considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape along with the first two proposed model subak systems in Tabanan and Tampaksiring. Currently, several village-councils have united in imposing a ban on any new construction project on productive rice land in the area. This grass-roots movement—the first one of its kind in Bali—hopefully may preserve Sidemen Valley through sustainable agriculture.

The nearby village of Ogang is noted for its Angklung—the percussion bamboo orchestra that is the “ancestor” to the gamelan. Many of the neighboring older farmers have never been to school, but all are aware of the history of their village with its legends and myths. They understand the workings of nature with the wisdom derived from their communal way of life. Those who are not sudra (the farmers’ caste) come from the respected pande caste—renowned for its ironsmiths who have been long connected to the sacred art of kris making. (This art traditionally involved the fusion of meteorite stone into special blades for the rulers to endow them with unearthly powers.)

The Building
After making the customary offerings to Dewi Sri, the Rice Goddess, Terence and Idanna broke ground in 1996. They designed the house themselves and worked closely with master-builder I Made Nasib from Ketewel—a village traditionally known for its architects. Great care was taken to use only local materials.

The house (326 m2 or 3,500 square feet) faces north-east toward the soaring volcano Gunung Agung. The single roof, supported by 27 teak pillars, covers three large verandahs and three enclosed rooms. There are two large master bedrooms, and a library that turns into another bedroom when needed. Each room has its own bathroom. The house sleeps comfortably three couples, or two couples with children. The entire structure was built in red brick or batu merah, fired in a local kiln, as well as volcanic stone called paras from Mount Agung. The teak pillars rest on paras bases. The windows are also teak, while the doors and support beams are camphor wood. (The kitchen is located in another building)

The Furniture
The unique trapezoid table in the central verandah was designed by Isamo Noguchi, the late Japanese sculptor. As a young man in the early 50’s, he came to Iseh, a village across the valley where Idanna lived before, and stayed for a few days with the painter Theo Meier. There were no tables at the Iseh house, and everyone sat on floor mats as is still done in the homes of Balinese farmers. The ingenious table sits up to ten people, and allows for easy conversation like a round table. When Idanna moved from Iseh to Ogang, this Noguchi classic followed her.

The four-poster bed in the southern master-bedroom as well as the chairs in the central verandah were made by an elderly Brahman carpenter from Sindu, who later set down his chisel and hammer to become a priest.

The Garden
The garden was conceived with two sacred Balinese colors: golden yellow and white. One can walk up to the house from two paths that join under a small grove of fruit trees: mango, banana, and clove. Over the entrance gate hangs saffron bougainvillea. The inner courtyard has clusters of gardenias, jasmine or sedap malam, frangipani, yellow bamboo, and palm trees.

The Swimming Pool
The pool ((3×18 meters or 6×60 feet) is framed by carved lava stone that filled the flanks of Mount Agung during the last eruption in 1963. It is cleaned and filtered daily. The jade ceramic tiles trap the heat of the sun, making the water warm even at night.