The Temple of Mother Besakih, or Pura Besakih, is located in the village of the same name, on the slopes of Mount Agung, in the eastern part of the island of Bali.
Mount Agung is a stratovolcano, the highest on the island, reaching an altitude of 3142 metres. Gunung Agung is considered a sacred mountain and is honoured as a shrine. Balinese also call the mountain "mother mountain" because of ancient beliefs that Agung is the repository of ancestral spirits.
The temple built on this mountain is considered one of the most important, large and sacred temple complexes by followers of Hinduism in Bali. During the last volcanic eruption, in 1963, a lava flow passed just a few metres from the temple, but the temple was not damaged, and this once again confirmed that this place - sacred. To date, the volcano "sleeps", at the top there is a crater, the diameter of which reaches approximately 500 metres.
The temple complex consists of many small temples, if more precisely - of 23 structures. The most important temple in the complex is Pura Penataran Agung, which is dedicated to the god Shiva. Apart from this temple, there are bigger ones - the Vishnu temple and the Brahma temple. The other 20 temples are small in size.
The entrance to the temple complex is in the form of traditional for Bali "split" gate, which is called Chandi Bentar. After passing through this gate, guests enter a beautiful green area, and from there through another beautiful Kori Agung gate to the second courtyard. Each temple is dedicated to a specific god and is visited by Balinese from certain regions or belonging to a certain caste..
