Bali's Lofty 'Mother
Temple'
Driving up to Besakih from Menanga, the silver-grey cone of Mt
Agung looms above. Its summit still bare from the ravages of the
1963 eruption. At 3142 meters, this is the highest peak on Bali,
and a major locus of divine power in the Balinese cosmos. The
huge temple located here, Pura Besakih, is the greatest of all
Balinese sanctuaries - the most sacred and powerful of the island's
innumerable temples. For this reason, it has always been associated
also with state power. It lies at an altitude of 900 meters on
the southwestern slope of the mountain, offering spectacular views
over the whole of southern Bali.
Pura Besakih is not a single temple but a sprawling complex consisting
of many separate shrines and compounds, united through ritual
and history into a single sanctuary. 'There are 22 temples in
all, spread along parallel ridges over a distance of more than
a kilometer. The highest of these, Pura Pengubengan, lies amidst
beautiful groves in a state pine forest. Most of the temples,
however, cluster around the main enclosure, Pura Penataran Agung.
In this same area there are many ancestral temples (pura padharman)
supported by particular clan group. Four public temples also form
a distinct sub-group (catur lawa or catur warga) and are associated
with certainkin groups. Local kin groups of Besakih village lagers
also have temples here.
It is busy almost every day at Besakih. Balinese often come in
order to obtain holy water for ceremonies back in their home villages
as a symbol of the god's presence. For most major rituals, the
witness of the god of Gunung Agung/Pura Besakih is required. Balinese
come to Besakih also at the end of the long series of funeral
rites, after the post cremation purification of the soul has taken
place, to ready the soul for enshrinement in the family house
temple. In all cases, the worshipper is sure to pay reverence
at the triple lotus shrine of the Pura Penataran Agung.
The symbolic center
Pura Penataran Agung, the "Great of State" is the symbolic
center of the Besakih complex. Originating probably as a single
prehistoric shrine, its six terraces suggest a history of successive
enlargements, the latest being in 1962. In all, there are 57 structures
in the temple, about half of which are devoted to various deities.
A study of these provides glimpse of important developments in
the history of the temple.
The meru or pagodas were probably introduced no earlier than the
14th century, whereas the lotus throne (padmasaanna) dates from
about the 17th or even 18th century. With the introduction of
the padmasana, ritual focus of the temple seems to have shifted
from the upper terraces to the second, lower terrace. The padmasana
is now the ritual center of Pura Penataran Agung and of the Besakih
complex as a whole.
The three seats in the lotus throne are dedicated to the godhead
in his tripartite form as Siwa, Sadasiwa and Paramasiwa or, more
commonly in the popular tradition, to Brahma (right), Siwa (center),
Wisnu(left). These deities are associated with the colors red,
white and black respectively. Behind the padmasana lies the Bale
Pasamuhan Agung where the gods of the Besakih temples take residence
during major rituals.
Of all the present structures in the temple, only one or two predate
the great earthquake of 1917. Although visitors are normally not
allowed inside the main courtyard, there are several vantage points
from where one can get good views of the shrines. |
