DENPASAR (indo.com): Travelers to Bali will have an unprecedented opportunity to witness groups of monkeys flocking to a temple when Puncak Sari Temple, located in Sangeh Village, Badung Regency holds a religious festival.

The festival will kick off on December 31, 2003 and will run through January 2, 2004. The three-day event is expected to provide a magnet for travels from far and wide because the event is held in the middle of a forest where hundreds of monkeys live.

When the festival begins, groups of monkeys living in the forest will appear, welcoming temple adherents and expecting the people to feed them.

Sangeh Village is famous for its monkeys and has been a well-known spot for tourists since the 1930s when Bali was still under a Dutch ruler. It is said that there is some mystery surrounding the monkeys at Sangeh, who are believed to have sacred significance. Over 1000 monkeys are found in this ten-acre area, believed to have supernatural qualities. A notice board bearing "Holy Monkey Forest Sangeh" is found in the forest, suggesting that visitors to the forest should respect the animals.

Legend has it that these monkeys have their own graves, halls and owners, and that they eat special trees, which cannot be seen by people. They reside in 25 groups, and have their own leaders. Visitors are expected to treat the monkeys well so as to prevent their leaders from getting angry.

I Nyoman Sura, local villager responsible for caring the monkeys, said that menstruating women, or people in mourning are not allowed to enter the forest. He said that visitors should also speak politely and may not take young monkeys home. "They will be in danger if these rules are not obeyed," he said.