Bali Besakih Temple
We visited Bali Besakih Temple when we were in the city of Ubud. The distance is about an hour by motorbike (scooter), which we rented for 10 days. As the weather is very rainy at the moment, there are not many people. This can be seen from the photos attached to the article.
We have so much to share from the last 2 weeks because Bali island offers unprecedented interesting events. We don't have much time for social networks because we are constantly on the road. We needed some time to understand where we are. Besakih Temple is on our list of places we must visit. We managed to reach it after 3 attempts, ruined 3 times by the heavy rain in the mountains!
Anyway, we managed to have the temple only for ourselves - without rain, on a beautiful sunny day! As you probably know, Besakih Temple is located south of Mount Agung. This place is extremely revered by the locals, it is also called the Mother Temple on the Bali island Indonesia. Located in altitude 1000 meters above sea level. It is said that the first stone foundations of Pura Penataran Agung were laid at this place two thousand years ago. 
Bali Besakih Temple photogallery
What to see in Bali Besakih Temple
The year 1284 is considered a sacred place, during the first large settlement on the island of Java. Besakih Temple is built on seven levels and is the epicenter of the temple district. Multicolored flags signify the dedication of the temple to Shiva, the destructive god of Hinduism.
The area dedicated to the creator Brahma is located on the other side of the Besakih temple in a southeasterly direction. In fact, it is about 19 temples scattered in the complex. These are the most sacred places for all the inhabitants of the island of Bali. They constantly bring gifts to the gods.
They take the water, which they consider sacred, and carry it to their native places for the ceremonies there. We asked how these temples were built and how they lasted so many years.
They explained to us that in fact the foundations of the Besakih temples are made of volcanic stone, and the roofs are repaired every year because they are made of straw. The replacement process is quite complicated. The statues in Bali's Besakih temple are also made of stone, as are the paths between them. Everything is very clean and tidy. We liked it very much, there is so much to see, unlike other temples in Bali, where you are ready in 15 minutes.
The rituals performed here are of the highest rank for their Hinduism. The temple serves as the Ganges River in India. The ceremony for releasing the spirit after cremation is very interesting and we attended one. Hindus believe in reincarnation. After a person dies, he is cremated after a while (until the family raises money for the funeral). After the cremation, the remains are taken to Besaki, where the sacred ceremony for the liberation of the spirit from the material takes place.
After the ceremony, the ashes of the deceased are carried to the ocean, where the soul sets out on its way. Another interesting fact is from 1963, when the volcano Agung erupted. Much of the temple falls under the lava flows, but much remains intact! It has been the most important temple since then. Just in this complex Besakih each year held festivals, because every temple has its date as the birthday.
