Taman Ayun Temple
When tourists visit Bali, one of the places of interest they tend to visit is the Pura Taman Ayun, well known because it is one of the six royal temples in Bali. This is one of the great temples of the ancient Mengwi Dynasty built in 1637 during the reign of Raja Gusti Agung Anom. The temple was considerably enlarged and given its present form in the year 1937. Taman Ayun Temple is located in the town of Mengwi about 19km from Denpasar. If you are not sure where this is, Denpasar is the capital in South Bali and you can look up both places on Google Maps. Type in “Taman Ayun, Bali” and you’ll get a very good satellite image on Google earth or Google Maps.
This compound of this magnificent royal Balinese temple is located on an island alongside a river. There are 3 levels of the temple and the sacred shrines or what they call meru are found in the inner courtyard surrounded by a red brick wall and a moat. They are devoted to the mountains and various gods. A large fountain basin devoted to the demons was built over a split gate (candi Bentar), in front of the entrance to the temple.
Gate leading to inner court of Pura Taman Ayun
The temple is popular among tourists for its exquisite wooden merus, or pagoda-like shrines. Being an important temple in Bali, it is frequently visited by not only tourists but many locals especially during Balinese festivals.
You can visit the Taman Ayun Temple on a West Bali half day excursion which includes Tanah Lot, Sangeh Monkey Forest and Taman Ayun.
