Pura Besakih

Pura Besakih – The Mother Temple

This 1000 year old temple situated on the slopes of the fierce mount Agung in the northeastern part of Bali is the holiest of all the Hindu temples on the island. Since ages, Bali has preserved a unique cultural heritage of the Hindu religion. Pura Besakih is called ‘Mother Temple’ by the Balinese people. Actually, this is not one temple but a complex of many temples. The most sacred of the worshipping courtyard, a sort of sanctum sanctorum is always full of worshippers who perform ceremonies almost daily. The Balinese Hindu calendar of 210 days is full of ceremonies. There’s a ceremony for everything ranging from worshipping tools and implements to motorbikes and cars to remembering their dead.

The Hindu Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva is represented by three main temples; Pura Penataran (Shiva), Pura Kiduling (Brahma), and Pura Batu Madeg (Vishnu). The Balinese Hindus follow the same caste system as Hindus elsewhere but no caste is denied entry into the temple. Women can freely go there to worship and are not barred during their menstruation, unlike another temple where notices barring women having periods are displayed.

The legend has it that in the 8^th century AD a monk from India built a temple here and named it Basuki after the mythical serpent Vasuki which was supposed to be living inside the volcanic mount Agung (all the volcanoes are considered sacred as abodes of one god or another). This Vasuki naga is the same that, according to the Puranic mythology, was used as the cord around the mount Meru by the gods and demons together to churn the ocean. The name gradually evolved from Basukian Naga to Besakih. Today this is simply called the Besakih temple. It is worthwhile to mention here that dragons and serpents are an important part of the myths associated with Buddhism and Hinduism.

When mount Agung erupted in 1963 the temple was severely damaged. The lava from the volcano had overrun the temple then. However, the latest eruption of 2017 (November) didn’t cause any damage to the complex though it remained off limits for some months. Mount Agung is an active volcano and has erupted several times so far in 2018 albeit on a small scale.

Last year (2017) in October when I visited Bali there was a 20 km no-go zone around mount Agung which had started rumbling in the month of September and the experts were expecting a huge eruption ‘anytime’. A plume of smoke was billowing from the top of the mountain which was distinctly visible from a distance of 20 km. I took some shots from Kintamani. This time I made it to the temple but mount Agung was shrouded in thick clouds hence not visible in the background.

The tourists after ascending the steps are allowed only up to the main entrance but not allowed inside the courtyard where only worshippers can go. However, they can take a walk around the complex. It took me around an hour and a half to roam the complex.

Some photos