Monument Bom Bali (Bali Ground Zero Monument) was erected on October 12, 2004, in order to commemorate the first Bali bombing incident that occurred on October 12, 2002, two years prior. The idea that constructing a monument is needed to commemorate the victims of the tragedy was first initiated by Nyoman Rudana, the leader of tourist attraction organization. After that, the monument was finished in 2004, inaugurated by Badung Regent, A.A Ngurah Oka Rahmad, named the monument as Monument Panca Buana (lit. The Monument of Five Continents). The main attraction of this monument is a huge plaque placed in the center of the museum, contains every single name of the individuals that became the victim of Bali Bombing. Every year, the monument is always crowded with international tourists, most of them are Australians (since Australia suffered from the heaviest casualties, with 88 victims). They visit this museum to pray for the fallen souls that became the victims of the bombings triggered by an extremist Islamic organization, which is Jemaah Islamiyah. Three of the members were given the death penalty by the Indonesian government. Now, let’s discuss several facts regarding the monument.
- It is constructed of three pieces
The first piece is the altar, used to serve any sajen or any flowers to honor the victims. The second piece of the monument is the monument itself, with a shape of gunungan, a plaque is embedded in the front of it. The third piece is nine water fountains, symbolizing hope and kindness that will spread to the nine directions of a compass.
- Constructed at the location of two bombed nightclubs
The place where the monument now stands was not always a monument. There were two nightclubs there, Sari Club and Paddy’s Pub. Both of the buildings were devastated by the bomb explosion. Afterward, it was decided to build a monument over their location. What about the buildings now? Well, the Sari Club was never rebuilt. However, Paddy Pub now has a new building located not far from the monument, named Paddy Pub: Reloaded.
- Surrounded by many tourist attraction
Monument Bom Bali is located at Legian Kuta Street. This place is famous for the tourists since there are many places to hang out. At the sides of the street, you can find numerous hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, and cafe. It is easy to enjoy yourself here! Also, Kuta Beach is at the west side of the monument. It is very close, under ten minutes walking, and 18 minutes by fetching a cab.
- Free to enter
Monumen Bom Bali has no entrance ticket. It is completely free to pay a visit to this spot for 24 hours. Except for the parking fee though, it is never free.
To reach the monument, you can pick up a taxi, online transportation, or rent a car or scooter. The address of the monument is at Legian Main Road no. 38, Kuta, Badung Regency. You can reach this place at around 25 minutes from Ngurah Rai Airport. What about the tourist attractions? Aside from Kuta Beach, there are two waterparks near the monument. Those are Waterbom Bali and Circus Waterpark Bali. For accommodation, there are plenty near it, but the cheapest of them are:
- Mahabharata Kuta Inn, located at Legian Street no. 96, Badung Regency. Cost : IDR 99,000/night
- Kuta Beach Hostel, located in Poppies I Street no. 5, Kuta. Cost: IDR 49,000/night
- Nine Dollar Hostel, located at Pattimura Street 9, Badung Regency. Cost : IDR 99,000/night
Those are the information regarding the monument. We hope that you can get a positive insight into it. Interested to visit the Monumen Bom Bali?
