Pura Ulun Danu Bratan

Built in 1633 on the shores of Lake Bratan in Bali’s cool central highlands near Bedugul, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan is one of the island’s principal water temples, dedicated to Dewi Danu, the goddess of lakes, rivers, and irrigation water on which downstream rice farmers depend. Its best-known feature is an eleven-tiered meru shrine standing near the water’s edge, which appears to float on the lake when water levels rise, making the temple one of the most photographed sites in Bali. Alongside Dewi Danu, the complex also enshrines Shiva and Parvati, and, reflecting Bali’s characteristic blending of religious traditions, a statue of the Buddha as well.

As with Bali’s other water temples, Ulun Danu Bratan sits within the island’s subak system, a centuries-old, UNESCO-recognized network of temples and irrigation cooperatives through which Balinese Hindu communities coordinate water use for rice cultivation as a matter of both agricultural necessity and religious devotion. Ritual life at the temple follows periodic odalan (anniversary) ceremonies on the 210-day pawukon calendar, and it remains an active site of worship today even as it draws large numbers of visitors for its striking lakeside setting.