Visiting temples in the south of Bali with Barrie and Candika – part I

Bali is famous for its temples and there is an ‘odalan’ (individual temple festival held to mark the anniversary of the founding of every temple in Bali) going on in somewhere in Bali every day of the year.

There are day trips to many of the famous temples like Besakih and Tanah Lot but I think it is much more enjoyable to organize your own transport either by renting a car and driving yourself or by hiring a driver.

I rented a Kijang 4 door vehicle for 125,000rp from a small place on Jl. Dhyana Pura at 8.45am on Friday morning. The staff made a call and within 15 minutes someone delivered the car. I filled out the form, no ID was required or deposit and I was on my way. The Kijang has AC which during this time of the year is a blessing.

Barrie had organized a little tour of some temples for us that would take us into afternoon and get us back to Kuta before 6pm. I picked him and Candika up at Hotel Prawita on Jl. Legian in Kuta where they are staying and headed off towards our first destination, Pura Taman Ayun, the royal palace of Mengwi.

Heading up the Sunset Rd form Kuta I drove towards Kerobokan and followed the signs for Denpasar, Sempidi, Kapal and Mengwi. We did have to stop and ask where the temple was but people were friendly and the area isn’t that big. From Kuta Mengwi is between 20-25kms and will take an hour to get to.

Driving down one quiet lane we saw a temple and decided to take a look without really knowing where it was. The temple was Pura Dalem Jati ( temple of the dead where cremation ceremonies are held)and was in the old village of Penarungan close to Mengwi. The place was totally deserted like many of the local temples in Bali and featured a massive banyan tree. Being a scholar I decided to swing on the vines and left a nice pattern on my shorts and shirt. The tree was impressive though and banyan trees are usually found at temples.

Balinese temples compounds are laid out in similar fashion with the outer, middle and inner courtyards. The outer courtyard (jaba) is for temples dances such as those tourists might see. This represents the outside human world. The middle courtyard (jaba tenggah) is the transition zone between human and the Gods and is the part of the temples where offerings will be prepared. The inner compound (jeroan) is the most holy part of the temple containing the shrines. The offerings will be brought here and prayers will be carried out here.

For westerners entering a temple it is proper to wear a sarong and a sash around the waist. Women menstruating or anyone with a wound are not allowed inside temples as the Balinese believe the shedding of blood makes one ritually ‘unclean’.

We looked around for a while and Barrie pointed out some important statues.

We carried on to our main destination Pura Taman Ayun a few kilometers away which I will tell you about tommorrow.