Above all, the Balinese temple
is a sacred space in which the deities are honored with rituals
and offerings. Whether a simple enclosure with only one or two
tiny shrines, or an elaborate complex with scores of sacred structures,
the basic function of each temple is the same - to serve as a
site where the Balinese pay reverence to the spiritual powers
that play such a large role in their lives.
Temple types
There are literally tens of thousands of temples in Bali, and
new ones are being constructed all the time. Throughout much of
the year they lie eerily deserted, but on the date of their anniversary
festival they come to life in a brief but glorious burst of activity,
as the congregation adorns the temple with beautiful ornaments
and arrives bearing elaborate gifts, dressed in their finest apparel.
We just have one word for temple, but the Balinese distinguish
two important types. A sanggah (merajan in the refined language)
refers to private or family temples, generally translated as "house
temples." Each family compound has one; containing shrines
to the family's deified ancestors (sanggah kamulan). Thus there
are several hundred thousand house temples in Bali.
The other word for temple in Balinese is Pura, originally a Sanskrit
term referring to town or palace. In Bali, the word Pura ha come
to refer to a temple in the public domain, generally located on
public land. These cannot always be neatly classified, but there
are generally three types associated with the three most important
foci of social organization on Bali - locale, irrigation cooperative
(subak) and descent group.
Within the group based on locality are temples of the local village,
as well as temple of greater regional and island-wide significance.
Irrigation cooperative temples can belong to a single subak or
to a whole group of subaks and within the group of temple based
on descent are temples supported "clans" of greater
or lesser degrees of ancestral depth, variously known as Pura
dadi Pura kawitan and Pura padharman. Altogether there are at
least 10,000 temples on B belonging to these various types.
Three village temples of special significance are the kahyangan
tiga ("three sanctuaries") the Pura Puseh ("temple
of origin"), at the upper end of the village, the Pura desa
("village temple") or Pura bale agung ("great meeting
hall temple") in the village center, and the Pura dalem (death
temple or "temple of the mighty one") lying near the
cemeter and cremation grounds at the lower or seaward end of the
village. These temples are linked with the gods of the Hindu Trinity:
the Pura Puseh with Brahma the Creator, the Pura desa with Vishnu
the Preserver, and the Pura dalem with Siwa the Destroyer.
The famous temple sites that tourists visit are regional or island-wide
temples. These include the "Mother Temple" of Besakih,
high up on the slopes of Mt. Agung, as well as the major temples
of Ulun Danu (Batur), Lempuyang, Gua Lawah, Ulu Watu, Batukau,
Pusering Jagat (Pejeng), Andakasa and Pucak Mangu. These are nearly
all mountain or sea temples, marking the primary poles of the
sacred landscape in Bali.
Lesser regional temples, numbering in the hundreds, are sometimes
called Pura dang kahyangan or "temples of the Sacred Ones"
because they are associated with legendary Priests who brought
Hinduism to Bali from Java. Their supporting congregations are
drawn from a wide area, and in the past such temples were often
supported by local Princely houses. Nowadays regional governments
have taken on the same role. Important regional temples include
Pura Sakenan, Pura Tanah Lot, Pura Kehen, Pura Taman Ayun and
many others. |
