Pura Tegeh Koripan in the highlands of Bali

Pura Ulun Danu Batur is an impressive temple and I highly recommend it.

No huslers inside, not too many outside if you can brush a few off and such impressive structures.

A short 6km drive north from the temple is another unique place called Pura Puncak Penulisan (also called Pura Tegeh Koripan). It is said to be the highest temple in Bali which I would believe if I had not already been to a higher one with my brother Chris. There is actually a temple on the top of Gunung Catur (2096m) though not as impressive or with such interesting pieces.

Arriving we parked on a sharp bend where the food sellers are set up next to a large tree. The temple entrance has a booth next to it and inside a man told me I had to give a donation, pointing to other names in a register and amounts of money. I gave 15,000rp and wrote in the register ‘Nick, Mellie, Candika’. “You give 15,000rp each” said the man, “some other people…” “I don’t give a crap about some other people” I said, “I only know about what I’m donating and its 15,000rp.” With that we turned and started walking the 333 steps that lead to the main temple.

There are many new structures which I am getting used to spotting after seeing so many temples lately. I used to wonder why Barrie would ignore the large newer impressive structures and head to some corner of the temple pointing out some rock or foot high carving. Now I know, it’s the really old stuff that has the interesting clues to the origins of the temple and the people who built it. You can get a glimpse into their particular mythology if you can identify some anomaly in their designs and artwork.

Barrie prepped me to watch out for the Polynesian influences such as separate structures for men and women and the ‘ shiva lingum’ phallic symbols that one finds in Hindu temples in India, but not usually in Bali.

Shiva lingums represent fertility and in India people pour milk over them during ceremonies sometimes. The cycle of life, birth, reproduction, death is represented in most religions as is the harvest cycle. The Balinese go to great lengths to appease the gods and ensure a prosperous and harmonious future.

The temple on top is called Pura Panarajon and is dedicated to Sanghyang Grinatha, god of the mountains and manifestation of Siwa (The Destroyer).

The whole temple date back to the 9th Century and the statues and lingga at the top are pre-Majapahit, meaning they were here before the Hindu invasion from Java in 1343.

The hike to the top took me about 5 minutes allowing for photos and any healthy person can make it.

My guide book says some of the statues are from a wedding portrait of King Udayana and Queen Mahendra, which might be the source of the Rangda myth (Rangda is a widow-witch who personifies evil and is portrayed with large fangs and a scary long tongue. You will see Rangda in Balinese dances).

The upper temple was devoid of tourists and there sat a solitary priest who asked me for another donation. I declined and told him ‘sudah’ (already).

Barrie said that there are more Bali Aga villages between Lake Batur and Lake Bratan and for our ride home we took a lovely scenic route from Pura Pencak Penulisan through Catur to just before Petang and over to Candi Kuning where we had lunch at a large empty tourist restaurant called Griya Taman Mina.

Along the way we stopped a couple of times including once at a traditional Bali Aga temple. The temple didn’t have any perimeter walls or other mythological devices that you would find in a Balinese temple to keep the demons out. This lady was very surprised to see us as she gave offerings at the temple entrance. She initially placed a mango and a 1,000rp note but grabbed them back after seeing us ‘bules arrive. We also stopped at a Bali Aga temple in Catur which was complete with an 11 tiered ‘meru’, very important. One of the locals told Barrie it was nothing special but we think it was to keep tourists way. The whole temple has a grass floor which makes it even more holy.

I think that to locate to real Bali Aga one needs to explore the tiny villages off the road out in the forest. The Bali Aga who have regular contact with outsiders become semi-western and their main sites like Tenganan and Trunyan become tourist traps. I’d love to explore more of the area but not if it upsets the locals.

The rain lashed down as we ate our nasi goreng and noodles and the temperature dropped significantly. Quite amazing that is was scorching earlier in the day and cool a few hours later. Bring a sweater if you are heading to the mountains and a rain jacket.

One thing we’ve found driving around is that some maps put places in the wrong place and sometimes when the map says you go straight through you will come to a fork in the road or a T-junction. You have to get used to asking locals, which is easy and never a problem.

A couple of hours later we were back in Kuta fighting traffic and heading for the shower.

Other things I learned on this trip: Bali has many interesting temples and some of the best ones are in out of the way places. A little reading beforehand can help you enjoy your temple visit.