Pura Ulun Danu Beratan, or Pura Bratan, is a major Hindu

Shaivite Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

temple in Bali,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The temple complex is on the shores of Lake Bratan in the mountains near Bedugul. The water from the lake serves the entire region in the outflow area; downstream there are many smaller water temples that are specific to each irrigation association (

subak Subak () is an ancient martial art that originated in Korea and uses bare hand techniques. The term was also used in Korea to refer to any fighting style that used bare hands. It is a different fighting style from Soo Bahk Do, which is a moder ...

The temple complex

In Bali,

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temples are known as "

pura Pura may refer to: Places * Pura, Kushtagi, a village in Koppal district, Karnataka, India * Pura, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran * Pura, Tarlac, a municipality in the Philippines * Pura, Switzerland, a municipality in Ticino, S ...

", being designed as open-air places of worship in walled compounds. The compound walls have a series of intricately decorated gates without doors for the devotee to enter. The design and plan of the holy pura follows a square layout. A typical temple is laid out according to ancient Lontar texts with three courtyards separated by low walls pierced by ornate gateways. The outer courtyard is for secular pursuits, with pavilions used for meetings, resting performers and musicians at festivals. Food stalls are set up here during festivals. The middle courtyard is a transition zone between the human and divine sections; here offerings are prepared and temple paraphernalia are stored. The inner courtyard is the site of the shrines and religious ceremonies. The shrines are known as merus and are square structures with brick bases and multiple

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

-style thatched roofs; the number of roofs reflects the status of the deity, and is always an odd number. Pura Ulun Danu Beratan is one of the nine 'Kahyangan Jagat' temples on Bali. The temple complex consists of five various shrines dedicated to other Hindu gods as well. Built in 1633, the temple is used for offerings and ceremonies dedicated to the Balinese water, lake and river goddess

Dewi Danu Dewi Danu is the water goddess of the Balinese Hindus, who call their belief-system Agama Tirta, or ''belief-system of the water''. She is one of two supreme deities in the Balinese tradition. See also *Danu (Asura) Danu () is a Hindu primo ...

, due to the importance of Lake Bratan as a main source of irrigation in central Bali. The 11-storey ''

pelinggih meru A Meru tower or pelinggih meru is the principal shrine of a Balinese temple. It is a wooden, pagoda-like structure with a masonry base, a wooden chamber and multi-tiered thatched roofs. The height of Meru towers represent the Hindu Mount Meru. Mer ...

'' in the complex is dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and his consort Parvathi.

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

's statue is also enshrined in this temple. This temple is also called the "Bali temple on the Lake" because it looks as if it is floating when the Bratan River rises.

The Buddhist stupa

The Buddhist stupa of Beratan is a place of worship for Buddhists located at the tourist complex of Pura Ulun Danu Beratan. Its existence is quite unique and interesting considering its location in close proximity to the sites of worship belonging to Hindus. This stupa signifies religious harmony. It faces south and is located outside the main area of the Ulun Danu Beratan Temple complex.

Gallery

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Balinees tempelcomplex. TMnr 60004821.jpg, Between 1910 and 1925 091010 ubudtolovina 1790 (4032744693).jpg Brantan Bali Pura-Ulun-Danu-Bratan-01.jpg Brantan Bali Pura-Ulun-Danu-Bratan-02.jpg A ceremony at a padmasana in Pura Ulun Danu Bratan.jpg Bali, Indonesia (50368691146).jpg

Notes

References

External links

{{Hindu temples in Indonesia Religious buildings and structures completed in 1663 17th-century Hindu temples Balinese temples Hindu temples in Indonesia Cultural Properties of Indonesia in Bali 1663 establishments in Asia