Pura Besakih is called the Mother of All Temples; it is the main temple of Bali, a great shrine for all the island's residents. The location of Pura Besakih emphasizes its grandeur: the temple was erected on the slope of the island's largest mountain, the Agung volcano. The temple complex is located at an altitude of one kilometer, and after noon the pagodas are often shrouded in clouds clinging to Mount Agung.
Besakih is the general name for a large complex of 23 temples, reflecting the entire history of religion in Bali. Around the main temple, Pura Penataran Agung, are temples dedicated to different gods and built for a caste-divided society. Previously, each caste or clan had the right to enter only its own temples, but now the faithful of Bali may enter any of the temples in the complex.
The only deprived caste is tourists: the Balinese treat their main shrine with great reverence, and people of other faiths are not allowed to enter the inner premises of the Besakih temples. But even a tour of the grounds, covering about 3 hectares, will be quite enough to enjoy the incredible beauty and atmosphere of the ancient temple.
There is no exact information about the date of Besakih's creation, but the foundations of the main temples indicate that people were praying on this site at least 2000 years ago. In 1284, there was already a complex of Hindu temples here, which is mentioned in the chronicles. In 1917, a powerful eruption of Agung occurred, which heavily damaged Pura Besakih, and throughout the 20th century the Balinese carefully reconstructed their great shrine stone by stone.
