If you love the culture and spiritual heritage of other countries, you will be sure to enjoy visiting some of the temples in Bali. Once you’ve found a villa from Easy Bali Villas, you can set off to visit some of the closest ones straight away – unless you have arrived at night, of course. You may also not realise that most of the temples are uninhabited unless there is some kind of spiritual festival about to happen.
There are many temples scattered throughout Bali, not just in the main cities so wherever else you go to do your sightseeing in Bali, it is highly likely that a temple will be there too. This will give you the chance to visit some of the less popular ones and perhaps see something that most other people missed out on. However, the popular temples are that way because they are easier to access than most others, so tourists tend to choose them first.
Here are some of the most popular temples in Bali: –
- Batuan Temple located in a village of the same name that is famous for its artwork and paintings done in the traditional Balinese manner. Located around 10km south of Ubud, the 11th century temple is used as a showplace for artworks unless there is some kind of festival on. The architecture and bas motifs supply the drawcard for visitors.
- At the foot of Mount Batukaru a temple of the same name can be found. This is the 2nd highest peak in Bali, so surrounded by natural forests, it is a welcome, cool stopover for tourists who are lovers of nature.
- The biggest and holiest temple in Bali is Besakih, located 1000 metres up Mount Agung. It is actually a temple complex here, with 85 other temples. The surrounding scenery is breathtaking.
- For beauty and tranquillity without the crowd, see Gunung Kawi Sebatu Temple in Central Bali, about 12km north-east of Ubud. Verdant gardens and ponds of carp, ancient shrines and crystal clear pools make the visit entrancing.
- If you are fit enough to climb 1700 steps, you might want to visit Lempuyang Temple, one of Bali’s oldest and most respected. It is believed to predate most of the other Hindu temples. With the main temple located on top of Mount Lempuyang it is a steep climb, but there are many other temples along the way to stop and rest at. Lots of long tailed macaques inhabit the surrounding forests.
- Worth a mention is an old Chinese temple by the name of Ling Gwan Kiong. Found just a 15 minute drive east of Lovina Beach in the north of Bali it is said to date back to the late 1800s and has connections to the Ching dynasty.
These are just a few of the temples on Bali; there are many more.