Bali Tourism News

Besakih Temple to be included into World Cultural Heritage List

May 23rd, 2006

DENPASAR (indo.com): Besakih Temple in Karang Asem regency, Bali, has been proposed as a member of the World Cultural Heritage List. The temple constitutes a powerful religious icon that unifies thousands of Hindu followers from different castes throughout Bali and beyond.

Sutaba, a representative of the Bali Archeology Board, explained to indo.com recently that Besakih Temple is part of the island’s ancient Hindu heritage, with a long history. This includes evidence of pre-Hindu belief systems found in the large ancient stones from the megalithic era. Also present is evidence of the worship of deities, such as those who are believed to reside on Mount Agung, the holy dragon known as Basuki, and also ancestor worship.

Besakih, often referred to as the “mother temple”, consists of five temple compounds around the main temple. These represent the five holy directions, and there are also tens clan temples which are used for ancestor worship on different days. Other compounds honor the founding father of Besakih temple, Rsi Markandya, and Basuki - the holy guardian dragon believed to dwell in a cave on Mount Agung. As the mother temple, Bekasi is the site of Bali’s largest and most elaborate purification ritual - Eka Dasa Rudra - held once a century.

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