Inseparable from the religious rituals of the Balinese
are the temples. Just like cathedrals in Europe, temples
are the most ubiquitous architecture in Bali. Every house
has its own little shrine, usually a dedication to their
ancestors. The rice field has a little shrine dedicated
to Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice. Each village usually has
three temples. For the entire island, the Mother Temple
of Besakih, situated on the slope of Mount Agung, is the
most important of all temples.
To the Balinese, temples and their various structures are
not worshipped. Temples are meant to be pleasant resting
place for the gods on their stay on the island. As such,
entertaining the gods
or appeasing the goddesses or most of religious rituals
through endless festivals will take place in the three
- Pura Puseh: a temple dedicated to the ancestors
of the village.
- Pura Desa: a temple used for official celebrations
of the village community.
- Pura Dalem: or the temple of death, dedicated
to the deities of death and of cremation
Architecture of a Temple
The word for temple in Balinese is Pura, which comes from
a Sanskrit word that literally translates into a place surrounded
by walls. A Balinese Pura typically consists of walls surrounding
two or three courtyards. The huge, elaborately carved entrance
gate is usually a split gate, known also as Candi Bentar.
Candi Bentar is usually guarded on both sides by statues
of temple guards. Sculptured figures can be found in various
locations in a temple.
The outer courtyard is separated from the inner courtyard
by another wall, and the entrance is a covered gateway called
Padu Raksa. The walls surrounding the courtyards are usually
heavily decorated with bas-reliefs, depicting stories that
can range from traditional Mahabrata mythology or as simple
as daily events of a Balinese. In the middle of the inner
court, usually imposingly stands a waringin or frangipani
tree. Inside each courtyard you will find several interesting
Each courtyard may have several little pavillions called
bale. These bale may be as simple as a roofed structure
supported by four pillars with cement or stone floors.
For a village temple, the orchestra will be housed in
one of these bale.
Meru is the tiered roof structure that you can find atop
a little pavillion dedicated to a god or goddess. You
can only have an odd number of merus, and the highest
is 11, signifying the greatest respect. The goddess of
rice, Dewi Sri, for example, will have eleven-tiered merus
dedicated to her.
Kulkul is a hollow log that functions similar to a church
bell; it is used to call together the village community.
In a village temple, it is usually housed in a tower whose
base is elaborately decorated with carvings. Sounding
the kulkul has its own language; different rhythms of
hitting the kulkul will communicate different reasons
for the gathering of the village.
A temple may have a number of shrines dedicated to the
various gods and goddesses. The village women will present
their offerings on these shrines.