Pura Besakih
Besakih, Bali, Indonesia
VerifiedDocumented + legend
- Deities
- Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu (Trimurti)
- Traditions
- other
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- 8.3742, 115.4497
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own trust/management for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- April to October (dry season) for easier travel on Mount Agung's slopes; major temple anniversary (odalan) festivals follow the Balinese pawukon calendar.
- How to reach
- About 1.5-2 hours by road from Denpasar/Ubud, on the southwestern slope of Mount Agung.
- Festivals
- Odalan (temple anniversary, per pawukon calendar) (varies)
Location
Open in Google MapsThe largest and holiest temple complex of Balinese Hinduism (Agama Hindu Dharma), Pura Besakih is a ‘mother temple’ comprising 23 separate but interconnected temples across six terraced levels on the slope of the sacred volcano Mount Agung. The site’s origins likely predate Hindu influence (some stone bases resemble megalithic structures over 2,000 years old); it became a site of Hindu worship from 1284 and, by the 15th century, the state temple of the Gelgel dynasty. Balinese Hinduism represents a living, continuously-practiced Hindu tradition outside India with its own distinct ritual calendar and cosmology, sharing core Vedic and Puranic deities while incorporating local Balinese custom (adat).
Sources
- historical record: Pura Besakih's role as Bali's central temple complex and its continuous use are well documented in Balinese cultural/religious scholarship.
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's account of Pura Besakih during verification pass: confirms the complex comprises 23 separate but interconnected temples across six terraced levels, that the site likely has pre-Hindu (possibly megalithic) origins, that it became a site of Hindu worship from 1284, and that it was established as a state temple of the Gelgel dynasty by the 15th century; confirms at least 70 annual festivals tied to the 210-day Balinese pawukon calendar.
For review
- Balinese Hindu (Agama Hindu Dharma) practice differs meaningfully from Indian Sanatana Dharma in ritual and local custom while sharing core deities/cosmology; this entry does not assume full equivalence.