Pura Besakih

Pura Besakih is not one building but a complex of 23 related temples terraced up the southwest slope of Mount Agung at nearly 1,000 meters, with Pura Penataran Agung as the largest, marked by split candi bentar gates and rows of black-thatched meru towers. A sacred site on this spot is traced at least to the eighth century, and Balinese families and clans across the island maintain hereditary connections to specific shrines here; the temple calendar fills the stairways with processions and offerings.

Its modern history is bound to the volcano: in 1963 Agung erupted while preparations were underway for Eka Dasa Rudra, the once-a-century purification ceremony, and lava flows passed close to the complex, an event many Balinese read as divine protection; the ceremony was finally held in 1979. The 2017-2019 eruptions forced temporary closures again. Tourism is tightly framed: a combined foreign-visitor ticket (reported around IDR 150,000 in 2025, increased by local regulation) includes sarong rental, an official guide and shuttle, and visitors are kept to the outer courtyards while worshippers use the inner ones.

Visiting

The foreign-visitor ticket (reported about IDR 150,000 in 2025 guides, raised by a 2025 regulation) includes sarong, sash, official guide and shuttle; Indonesia Travel and the Karangasem regency carry official guidance. Decline unofficial guides in the car park; arrive early before the clouds and the tour groups.

Photo: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Besakih_Bali_Indonesia_Pura-Besakih-01.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0, CEphoto, Uwe Aranas.