Pura Tanah Lot Temple: Where the Giant Snake Dwells
One of Bali’s most visited temples has a remarkable legend, where a powerful priest battles a giant serpent. The revered Pura Tanah Lot is one of Bali’s most visited temples. Year-on-year, Tanah Lot welcomes hordes of people, be it masses of Balinese Hindu pilgrims making their annual visit and prayers here, or the many tourists
Pura Petitenget Temple and the Haunted Chest
The name ‘Petitenget’ has now become synonymous with the glitz and glamour of the Seminyak lifestyle; with some of Bali’s best hotels, restaurants, beach clubs and bars lining both sides of Petitenget Road. Though popular today for its late-night haunts, before the bright lights and upbeat music the area was once known as being haunted.
Bali’s Christian Hamlets
Balinese Hindu temples and mosques are decorating a good portion of the Jembrana area in West Bali, with quite a number of them located by the roadsides. But if you turn inland on the way to the West Bali National Park to the villages of Blimbingsari and Palasari, you’ll come upon the home of the
Bangli’s Hidden Temples
If you explore Bangli deeper, you’ll be amazed by the regency’s many charms not listed in any guide book – Pura Taman Pecampuhan and Pura Dalem Balingkang for instance. Bangli is best known for its Kintamani highlands, home to the majestic Lake Batur and Mount Batur. Both residents and visitors usually flock the area for
Pura Kahyangan Jagat: Nine Temples of Auspicious Locations
Here on the island, there are nine temples known as the Pura Kahyangan Jagat. Meaning the ‘palaces of the gods’, the temples of Kahyangan Jagat are spread across nine cardinal directions (eight wind directions with another being in the centre), aimed to foresee any evil attack from any direction, and repel it. There’s something special
Bali’s Craftsmen Villages
Bali is rich in cultural diversity and to visit one of the traditional villages on the island is to get an up-close look into the wonders and deeply-rooted cultures of the Balinese people, their lifestyle and history. From music and carving to sculpting and painting, culture flourishes in the many traditional villages across Bali. Art
Pura Sada Kapal : A Javanaese Mystery in Bali
Pura Sada Kapal is perhaps the only temple In Bali that boasts its own, unique architectural style. It features a mixture of mainly Javanese blended with just a little bit of Balinese temple design. Each and every temple in Bali is physically striking in its own respective way. And this one, Pura SadaKapal, built by
Klenteng : Bali’s Chinese Temples Paint the Island Red
Apart from being a time to feast and reunite with family, Chinese New Year is a festivity accompanied by a large array of customs and rituals. This significant holiday is also the time when the Chinese temples, or Klenteng, across Bali celebrate by painting the island red. Among the highlights during Chinese New Year festivities to
Pura Puncak Luhur Sari: The Temple of Love
William Shakespeare has his Romeo and Juliet, and Bali has its similar tragic love story. Sitting on the top of the hill in Kalianget village, North Bali, is the gravesite of Jayaprana and Layon Sari, the island’s ‘Romeo’ and his beloved ‘Juliet’. Pura Puncak Luhur Sari, or popularly known as Pura Jayaprana, is a landmark
Pura Candidasa Temple: Ten Children and a Happy Goddess
The name Candi Dasa derives from the words cili dasa, meaning “ten children”. This temple, Pura Candi Dasa, is believed to be the source of fertility and abundance. And when it rains, the magic will grow even stronger. As the most popular area along the coast of East Bali, Candi Dasa provides a quiet seaside
Pura Bukit Sari and the Tale of Talking Monkeys
This temple is so magical that it is said that the monkeys inhabiting it and the trees surrounding it also have magical powers – they can talk and walk. This is the tale of Pura Bukit Sari, otherwise known as the Sangeh Monkey Forest. The 13-hectare forestland of Sari Hill in Mengwi is a protected grove
Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple: The Gate to Heaven
Pura Luhur Uluwatu or popularly known as the Uluwatu temple is dramatically located on a cliff’s edge. The temple, as documented on ancient lontar, is also a portal that can transfer those who deserve it to heaven. Uluwatu temple is celebrated for its religious importance and the stunning natural surroundings, making it one of the
Pura Kebo Edan Temple and The God with Four Penises
The sexual tension used to be high at this temple. The male worshippers envied the size of the god’s phallus, and the females were aroused. And so the statue of god Ciwa Bhairawa with his four phalluses were covered with a chequered cloth. Pura Kebo Edan is an interesting temple with an unusual story. But