I’ll interlude the sights I saw in Bali with some tropical flora. Being from Sydney, these are rather exotic to me.
Tag Archives: bali
Shrine
You’ll see shrines and temples everywhere in Bali, because they are an integral part of Balinese life. Every house, village, even business has one. Balinese may call themselves Hindus, but the locals tell me that their beliefs are a mixture of Hindu, Buddhism, and the animist religion that was on the island before the arrival of the former religions.
This shrine was in one corner of our hotel. The staff studiously left offerings there every day.
Tropical Times
Before Christmas BB and I took a break in Bali. Not coastal Bali, mind you. I have been before and know how hectic that can be. We headed for the cooler, verdant hills, where aside from the hotel’s guests, there wasn’t another tourist in sight.
The Gods Must Be… – Part 7
Up the overgrown stone steps, and we come to the top of the temple complex. The view from the top is absolutely glorious. No wonder this is the most important place in all of Bali.
Thanks for journeying with me through Besakih temple!
The Gods Must Be… – Part 6
The upper tiers weren’t quite as well-kept as the lower ones. Here, the weeds were slowly overtaking the place – it’s as if the jungle wanted to reclaim its long-lost territory.
The God’s Must Be… – Part 5
The individual temples are made of local stone and tiered thatched roofs. It also contains some intricate masonry. Given that much of this was first constructed 500-600 years ago, I say that everything’s been pretty well-maintained.
The God’s Must Be… – Part 4
I glimpsed part of a funeral ritual – praying for the soul.
I like the thatched roofs and the Bali dogs wandering around. These dogs are a pretty close relative of the dingo, don’t you think?
The God’s Must Be… – Part 3
A behind-the-scenes glimpse at the preparations for the festival. The checks make another appearance, this time on umbrellas. Gold signifies prosperity, and so is also in great abundance. These umbrellas will be carried in procession.
The Gods Must Be… – Part 2
We pass through gates guarded by dragons. They dressed in chequered scarves – not sure why chequered – perhaps because it symbolises light/dark/good/evil?
The God’s Must Be… – Part 1
I’m returning once again to Bali to view another temple. This one is quite different from the last. It’s not beside a lake but under a volcano…
Pura Besakih (Besakih Temple) sits under Gunung Agung (Mt Agung) – Bali’s highest peak (3,142m – almost 1km taller than Mt Kozzie) and also an active volcano! The volcano last erupted in 1963, and still belches smoke.
So why have they built this mega temple underneath a volcano? Because…
The Balinese believe that Mount Agung is a replica of Mount Meru, the central axis of the universe. One legend holds that the mountain is a fragment of Meru brought to Bali by the first Hindus
– From Wiki
The temple is built on the side of the hill in terraces. This photo was taken at the bottom. Being Bali’s most important temple, it holds up to seventy festivals a year. The locals were in the midst of preparing for a new moon festival when I visited.
Static and Silence 