A Typology of Temples

A conservative estimate reckons that there are some 20,000 temples in Bali. Most of the time they are deserted, watched over by a lay priest, or pemangku, who keeps the temple precincts clear of leaves and acts as a general caretaker. But every temple has its birthday festivals, or odalan, whose date is fixed either according to a 210-day ritual cycle, or alternatively the ancient Hindu lunar Saka calendar. An odalan may last for several days, and their principal aim is the ritual purification of the temple catchment area and its congregation. On these occasions, the temple becomes the centre of intensive activity drawing in the entire local community to participate in prayer and ritual supplication to the gods and to partake of the associated entertainments-gamelan performances, puppet theatre, dance drama, operetta and the like.

Temples for All Occasions

There are a great variety of temple types in Bali, each servings a different function. Every village, or desa, has three main temples which govern the religious life of the community. They are known as the kahyangan tiga and they are identified with the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siwa. Other kinds of temples include pura panataran, or royal temples, which are usually incorporated as part of a palace complex, and private origin temples dedicated to the ancestors of a particular family- variously pura dadia, pura kawitan and pura padharman, depending in the genealogical depth being traced. There are also hill temples (pura bukit), sea temples (pura segara) and temples dedicated to the tutelary gods of seed (pura melanting) and markets (pura pasar). Each irrigation society-a collective of rice farmer who draw their water from a common source–will also have its own temple (ulun carik).

Sad Kahyangan

Especially prominent temples in the religious life of Bali are the `six great sanctuaries`, or `temples of the world` (sad kahyangan) which are recognized as the most sacred sites on the island. They include Pura Luhur Uluwatu at the westernmost tip of Bukit Penisula, Pura Goa Lawah near Kusamba, Pura Lempuyang Luhur in Karangasem, Pura Batukau in Tabanan and Pura Pusering Jagat in Pejeng. The most sacred temple of all is Pura Besakih, on the southern slopes of Gunung Agung, which is identified as the `mother temple` of all Bali. Other important regional temples include the `temples of the Sacred Ones-pura dang kahyangan-which are associated with the legendary Javanese priests who brought Hinduism to Bali.

King and Cosmos

In traditional Hindu cosmology, the political territory of a kingdom is conceived, in symbolic terms, as being coterminous with the universe as a whole, a microcosm of the macrocosm. In this respect, the seat of the ruler, which was ideally situated at, or near, the geographical centre of the kingdom, was perceived not only as the ultimate source of temporal power but also as a cosmological and ritual centre. The two aspects of power went hand in hand, the ruler, in Classical Indonesia, being regarded as divinely appointed (cakravartin).

The kingdom of Mengwi

The temple of Pura Taman Ayun was once the state temple of the kingdom of Mengwi which flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries. The actual sanctuary itself was founded in the mid-18th century and reflects and attempt to literally re–centre the kingdom following a power struggle between rival factions within the royal family. The ascendant house decided to consolidate its advantage by building a new temple complex at Taman Ayun, situated halfway along a line running between Gunung Pengelengan-the local Mount Olympus- and the coastal temple of Pura Ulun Siwi. In cosmological terms this point was identified as the `navel` (puseh) of the world, and axis mundi situated midway between the heavens and the Stygian seas.