Besakih Temple (Pura Besakih) is considered by the Hindu Balinese to be their mother temple. This is the single most important temple on the whole of the island and is dramatically located on the slopes of Mount Agung.
The Besakih temple complex consists of more than 20 separate temples and numerous other smaller shrines, spread out over three kilomteres. Each temple has a specific purpose, whether it is for the worship of a particular god, for the use of the people from a certain region of Bali or for the use of a specific Balinese caste. The only way to move around the temples of Besakih is on foot and there are some quite steep climbs as the complex gradually rises up the slopes of Mount Agung. Make sure you wear a good pair of comfortable shoes. The overall effect is quite spectacular, especially on a clear day.
Unless you are specifically there to pray or make offerings, all the main temples are off limits and will be locked. This is not however a big drawback for visitors as just about everything can be seen from outside of the actual individual temple compounds.
Part of the Pura Besakih complex
Besakih is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Bali and the area around the entrance has inevitably grown into a small town of souvenir hawkers and a host of others all trying to scramble a living out of relatively wealthy visitors. This does put some visitors off a little, even to point where travel guides and agents issue warnings about visiting here. There is no need to be put off though. If you behave sensibly and courteously, the hawkers soon know whether you are a "buyer" or not. Pura Besakih should be a must for every visitor to Bali.
The most usual approach to Besakih is from Klungkung in the south. Take the main road which leads due north from the centre of Klungkung for about 20 km passing through Rendang. Besakih is signposted along the way. An alternative (and atractive) route is from Kintamani taken the road south from Penelokan through Suter and turning east (Besakih is signposted) just before you reach the tiny village of Pempatan.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about East Bali
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in East Bali - updated May 2024
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East Bali Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
