Besakih Temple; the Biggest Hindu Temple in Bali
Besakih temple is the biggest Hindu temple in the island of Bali. Local people call the temple as Pura Besakih. Different from any other temples in Bali, Besakih brings beautiful view from its top where people can easily see and enjoy the panorama. Because of that reason, many tourists from all over the world visited the temple. Besakih is located in the countryside of Besakih, in the sub district of Rendang, Karangasem regency or at the eastern part of Bali. It stands in the southwest side bevel of Mt. Agung, which is the biggest mountain in the island. The temple was built there because the mountain is the holiest and the highest mount in the island. Local people also call Besakih as the “mother temple” because of its size. Besakih is more than 900 meters up the slopes of the mountain and has been regarded as one of the holiest places since pre-historic times. It is said that the existence of Besakih was since 1007 A.D. or since the Gelgel dynasty of the 15th century. Up to today, the temple is still regarded as a central, holy Hindu temple for the entire island.