InterContinental Bali Resort is pleased to remind guests and visitors of the facility of the hotel’s ‘Saraswati Lounge,’ which is an open-plan meeting space, suited to group check-ins and rendezvous. Here, guests can enjoy a comprehensive menu of all-day refreshments including alcoholic beverages such as tropical cocktails, freshly-brewed coffees and a selection of premium teas. The Lounge provides comfortable seating, a billiards table and wide-screen TV, while also showcasing a changing exhibition of paintings by various international and Indonesian artists, all of which are available for purchase. This rotating palette entices guests to return again and again, as well as attracting local residents.
Saraswati Lounge is named in honor of ‘Sang Hyang Aji Saraswati,’ the Balinese goddess of learning, knowledge, wisdom and the arts. The Sanskrit word ‘sara’ means ‘essence’ and ‘swa’ means ‘self.’ Thus Saraswati means ‘the essence of the self.’ The Goddess is worshipped by the Balinese, especially students, teachers, scholars, and scientists, and a special day, Saraswati Day, is devoted to her every 210 days, occurring on the Saturday of the 30th week –the very last day – of the Balinese Pawukon Calendar.The day before Saraswati Day is known as ‘Pangredanan,’ and this is a day of preparation, when all books and ancient lontar palm scrolls are collected together to be cleaned and dusted. The Balinese Hindu people then celebrate Saraswati Day in the morning by dedicating offerings to the Goddess and asking her to bless the holy books and scrolls within in their homes, at schools and universities, and in offices and workplaces. During the afternoon of Saraswati Day, the Balinese are not permitted to read or write in their books because all of the books are offered in prayer to the Goddess. In the evening, which is called ‘Malam Sastra,’ people will once again read books, especially religious books, in their homes or in the temple. The philosophy of Saraswati Day is that the most important thing for human life is knowledge.
Located adjacent to the Resort’s main lobby, Saraswati Lounge is heralded by an intricate woodcarving of Saraswati. She has four hands representing four aspects of the human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She holds the sacred scriptures, plays the music of love and life on a stringed instrument, and rides on a white swan, symbolizing purity. The swan rests upon a lotus – the symbol of true knowledge. The left side of Saraswati’s body represents the qualities of the heart and the right side signifies activities of the mind and intellect. The book in her rear left hand is to remind us that knowledge acquired must be used with love and kindness to promote the prosperity of mankind. The musical instrument denotes mind and intellect, conveying that the seeker must tune his mind and intellect in order to live in perfect harmony with the world. Such harmonious living enables the individual to utilise acquired knowledge for the welfare of all mankind. Meanwhile, the swan also symbolizes the power of discrimination, or the ability to discriminate between right and wrong, or good and bad; this is because it is said to have a sensitive beak that enables it to distinguish pure milk from a mixture of milk and water. Saraswati uses the swan as her carrier. This indicates that one must acquire and apply knowledge with discrimination for the good of mankind because knowledge that is dominated by ego can destroy the world.
InterContinental Bali Resort invites guests and visitors to enjoy the relaxed ambience and facilities of Saraswati Lounge, together with the beautiful rotating exhibitions of paintings, the Hindu cultural significance of the revered goddess, Sang Hyang Aji Saraswati, and the importance of knowledge, learning, wisdom, and the arts.
