The name of Jatiluwih comes from 2 Balinese words jati + luwih. Jati means real, and luwih means beautiful or excellent. This name is given to the vast stretch of rice field dug in terraces on the slope of mount Batukaru. The rice terraces form a beautiful sight in all seasons, during the watering, or before planting the rice looks like a tremendous construction of nature. When the rice almost reaches harvest time, the color varies between green, and dark yellow. This mixture of color forms breathtaking views over such a wide scale.
The achingly picturesque area of Jatiluwih actually comprises not only rice fields but also forests, lakes, springs, temples and a huge natural mountain reserve scattered over a wide area around the slopes Mount Batukaru, a sacred landscape whose boundaries are defined by a cluster of temples supported by traditional villages and farmlands administered by age-old subak organizations ( the local water boards).
This site is among the most striking examples of terraced agriculture in the world and is arguably Bali’s oldest and most complex real-life model of the subak agricultural system which vividly reflects the intertwined, mutually beneficial relationship between the island’s traditional rice growing culture and its Bali Hindu spiritual belief system.
