Pura Besakih

Bali's 'Mother Temple': terraced courtyards of black-thatched meru towers climbing the slopes of Mount Agung.

Visitors climb stepped terraces and flights of stairs through split gateways and brick gates, all lined up along a single axis that leads the spirit upward toward the sacred mountain. At the heart of the main sanctuary is a lotus throne, or padmasana, which dates to around the 17th century. Because of its size, Besakih is sometimes called the Mother Temple of Bali.

A very old holy place

No one knows exactly how old Besakih is, but it was almost certainly a holy site in prehistoric times. The stone bases of Pura Penataran Agung and other temples look like stepped pyramids from megalithic times, at least 2,000 years old. It was in use as a Hindu temple from 1284, when the first Javanese conquerors settled in Bali, and by the 15th century it was the state temple of the powerful Gelgel dynasty.

The volcano that spared the temple

In 1963 Mount Agung erupted in a series of eruptions that killed about 1,700 people. The lava flows threatened Besakih but stopped only a few metres from the temple complex. The Balinese saw this as a miracle, a sign that the gods wished to show their power without destroying the monument people had built for them.

Festivals all year

Almost every shrine in Besakih celebrates a yearly anniversary, so at least 70 festivals take place there each year, following the 210-day Balinese Pawukon calendar. One of the biggest is the Bhatara Turun Kabeh ceremony, which draws crowds. In 2023 Indonesia's president opened new facilities around the holy area to protect the site and manage the visitors.

On the globe

The model shows the terraced courtyards with black-thatched towers climbing the slope. Look for the stacked meru roofs.