Pura Besakih

Mountains occupy a special place in Balinese cosmology and there is none more sacred than Gunung Agung, the island’s highest peak. Gunung Agung is regarded as the navel of the world and local legend has it that it is actually the summit of Mount Meru brought from India by the God Paramasiwa when Hinduism was first introduced to the island. Pura Besakih, which is situated on the southerm slopes of Gunung Agung at an altitude of 900 meters, was at one time the principal place of worship for the royal families of Klungkung, Karangasem and Bangli, but today is regarded as the mother temple for all Bali. Although the Besakih temple complex has very ancient origins, the present structures are of comparatively recent construction with few dating back to before the earthquake of 1917. Nevertheless, despite the many renovations that have taken place over the centuries, Pura Besakih still retains its archaic character-some suppose that it may stand on the site of a prehistoric place of worship belonging to the island’s pre-Hindu-Buddhist past.

The Pura Besakih Complex

The pura Besakih complex is made up of a number of different sanctuaries-there are 22 temples in all-which are situated on parallel ridges running down the mountain side of Gunung Agung. The main temple is the Pura Penataran Agung and it is dedicated to Siwa who occupies the most prominent  position in the Balinese pantheon. Pura Batu Madeg, or the ‘Temple of the Erect Stone’-a reference to the phallic shaped monolith than it houses-stands a little to the left (as one races towards Gunung Agung) and is dedicated to Bharma, the Creator. The Pura Dangin Kreteg, or ‘Temple East of the bridge’, is situated on the other side of the main sanctuary, and is dedicated to Vishnu. Together the three deities constitute the Hindu triumvirate, or trimurti, but there are also a great many sanctuaries dedicated to other Balinese gods as well as several ancestral temples venerating the deified ancestors of various clans, including, as mentioned earlier, the royal houses of Klungkung, Karangasem and Bangli.

Pura Penataran Agung

Pura Penataran Agung-the Great temple of State-is the symbolic centre of the Besakih complex and comprises six terraces which bare witness to successive enlargements; the most recent being in 1962. There are 57 structures in the temple sanctuary, dedicated to various members of the Balinese pantheon, the principal deity represented here being Siwa. The meru towers were probably introduced during the 14th century, possibly in response to Majapahit influences. The lotus throne, or padmasana, dates from the 17th or 18th century and acts as the ritual focus of the pura and indeed the Besakih complex as a whole.