Pura Durga Kutri

Around the backside of the temple was a set of steep stone steps. In all cultures the higher you get, the more important something is, so I didn’t need a guidebook to tell me there was something special up there. After consulting the pemangku (temple priest), I ascended, taking care not to fall over the end of my dangling sarong or off of a moss covered step. After a minute I paused to snap a shot of the temple down below, sweat pouring out of me on this boiling day. At the top a small sign said Pura Durga Kutri (the temple of Durga in Kutri). Durga is a female Hindu Goddess and the centerpiece of the temple is a stone carving of her killing a buffalo.

In the rear corners of the temple were small pies of rocks, obviously dating way back and carrying particular importance. The view from the top was incredible, I looked over rice fields and could see the coast. When you look at Bali from altitude it re-sets your mental view of the island. The ‘ribbon -development’ can make it seem like Bali is one big cement alley, but that’s not the case.