Pura Besakih Mother Temple

Bali's biggest and most important temple is Pura Besakih, the Mother Temple. Built on the slopes of Mount Agung, Bali's biggest volcano, Besakih is really a huge sprawling complex of more than twenty smaller temples. The origins of Pura Besakih began over two-thousand years ago as a place of worship for the indigenous animist population. By at least the thirteenth century, it was being used as an active Hindu temple. Built on a series of terraces up the side of the mountain, the temple is accessible by a large number of steep steps.

It feels like something that you have to see when you're in Bali, although my guidebook warned that it would be a stressful experience. "The locals are aggressive", my driver told me. Although it's not true, the people at the temple will tell you that you are forbidden to enter without a guide, and there have been cases of bullying and people being physically prevented from entering without a guide. I begrudgingly paid for a guide from the beginning to avoid all that, and he turned out to be very relaxed and helpful. In the end though, the visit to the temple turned out to be way more expensive than I had originally budgeted for. Although the entry fee was only around $2, you have to end up paying for a guide and a sarong.

The thing is, in order to even be allowed into the temple complex, you have to wear a sarong and the traditional Indonesian costume, which, upon seeing the picture, my loving brother referred to as "the return of Michael in a dress".

It was dark, windy, and cloudy at the temple, although still very hot and humid. Being about halfway up the slopes of the volcano, the highest point on the island, the clouds dramatically seemed to be perpetually gathered around the temple. The guide told me that Bali was preparing for a festival that week, which is one reason the temple was so crowded at that time. He said that there are over seventy festivals throughout the year, and this was an annual one that takes place in early April every year.

Although there were dozens of small clan temples, there were three main shrine compounds dedicated to three of the most important gods in the Hindu pantheon.

Interestingly, being built on a volcano, parts of the temple are built from black volcanic rock. The temple has an interesting history with the volcano.

In the 1960's, Mount Agung awoke in a devastating eruption that killed over 1,700 people. The lava flowed down the mountain, narrowly missing the temple. The Balinese people regard this preservation of their Mother Temple as a sign of the gods' favor, as well as a demonstration of their power.

a group of Balinese girls praying