Places of Worship in Bali

 

Bali sometimes called an island of a thousand temples. Indeed the number of temples in Bali is much more. Most accepted number is between 10.000 to 20.000, this is without counting household temples inside almost every house in Bali.   

In every village there are three main temples which are dedicated to Brahma (Brahman or Hyang Widhi shakti or power of creation) called Pura Desa, Wisnu (Brahman shakti of preservation) called Pura Puseh and Siwa (Brahman shakti of annihilation) called Pura Dalem, together they are called Kahyangan Tiga. Pura Desa or Bale Agung also has a purpose as a place to hold village council meeting, usually situated at the center of the village. Pura Puseh is also considered as temple of villager origin, meanwhile Pura Dalem as temple of  the dead is located near the village cemetery.   

There are kawitan temples devoted for ancestors of many family clans in the village, there are melanting temples in the markets, subak irrigation temples, temples on the beaches, lakes, mountains, rivers and other sacred sites. In every household of Hindu Balinese, there is a family temple with shrines to worship Hyang Widhi and family ancestors.   

Beside these temples there are some very important temples for the whole of the Balinese called Kahyangan Jagat temples. These temples are places to worship many important Brahman or Hyang Widhi manifestations. Temples of this kind are often so picturesque and beautiful, so they became the object of interests to tourists and photographers that come to Bali from any directions. The following list of eight Kahyangan Jagat temples includes some exotic names:  

• Lempuyang temple, place of worship to Brahman manifestation as Ishwara, situated in the eastern part of Bali.
• Andakasa temple,  place of worship to Brahman manifestation  as Brahma, situated in the southern part of Bali.
• Batukaru temple,  place of worship to Brahman manifestation  as Mahadewa, situated in the western part of Bali. 
• Ulun Danu Batur temple,  place of worship to Brahman manifestation  as Wisnu, situated in the northern part of Bali.
• Goa Lawah temple, place of worship to Brahman manifestation  as Maheshwara, situated in the southeastern part of Bali.
• Ulu Watu temple,  place of worship to Brahman manifestation  as Rudra, situated in the southwestern part of Bali.
• Bukit Pangelengan temple,  place of worship to Brahman manifestation as Sangkara, situated in the northwestern part of Bali.
• Besakih temple,  place of worship to Brahman manifestation  as Sambhu, situated in the northeastern part of Bali. Beside as a place to worship Sambhu, it is also as a center of all Kahyangan temples of Bali and as a place to worship Brahman manifestation as Shiwa.  

In other areas in and outside Bali, there are Jagat Nata temples. These group of temples don’t have tiered merus, instead a Padmasana or a shrine as symbolical seat of Brahman, the one and only God. Like Kahyangan Jagat and many other temples, these kind of temples open for all Hindu worshipers of all nations. The examples of these are Pura Jagat Nata Denpasar, Pura Jagat Nata Singaraja, Pura Aditya Jaya Jakarta and many others. Other than on the odalan or birth day ceremony of the temples which held twice a year, also in every full moon they are worshipped by many Hindu youth.