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With the Indonesian island of Bali as its western neighbor, the island of Lombok is located on the eastern side of the Lombok Strait. A significant part of the Indonesian archipelago, Lombok is a culturally rich and diverse even though most of the populace is Sasak Muslims. As a result of this, the island has quite a number of festivals and celebrations year round that are either cultural or religious in essence. There are also festivals in the island to promote these important cultural and religious occasions. The Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok is one such occasion. The main purpose of the Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok is to advance the cause of West Lombok’s culture and tradition. The Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok consists of a week full of festivities and showcasing Indonesian culture, in general, and more specifically the vibrant culture of West Lombok. The week long celebration of the Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok also has a higher purpose that goes beyond the obvious popmotion of their indigenous culture. The Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok als aims at boosting tourism to the island of Lombok. The Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok is hosted in Narmada. The Taman Narmada is a substitute of the caldera lake of the nearby auspicious Rinjani volcano. It was built by the King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Karang Asem when due to old age he grew incapable of making the trip to the original crater to make his offerings. Later it also doubled up as his “pleasure garden”. The Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok is celebrated on the same day as the date of origin of the West Lombok Regency. The Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok is conducted by staging the chief festivals of Lombok like the Pawai Ogoh-ogoh, Male'an Sampi, Gendang Beleq and the Tawak-tawa Festival to name a few. Through them, the Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok depicts Lombok’s every day life – the way it was conducted in the past and the way it continues to function in the current times. Aside of the promotion of culture and tourism, the Patut Patuh Patju Festival of Lombok also includes elements of fun in its scheme. One of the major attractions that fall in this category is the “Wayang Kulit” or ‘shadow puppet show’, which draws in a lot of crowd.
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