The original temple of Balinese royalty
- Jl Gunung Batur
- Open 24/7
The palace temple
The two bronze lions that greet you are a clear sign that this is no ordinary temple and indeed you’ve come to a very special place: the place of worship for the Pemecutan, Bali’s oldest and richest royal family (think Buckingham Palace). The temple is unique because you’re looking at the original building dating back to the heydays of the kingdom in the 16th century. Unlike lava stones temples you’d see in Ubud, temples in Denpasar claim the Badung style built with bricks, it’s all about getting the proportion right.
Girl power
To protect the power of Kingdom, the kings of Pemecutan were encouraged to have many wives and we can still find evidence of this phenomenon today in the many small ibu (female) shrines in the same courtyard.
China connection
Walk all the way to the third courtyard where you find shrines elaborately decorated with ceramic plates, gifts from Chinese trading delegations. Look carefully and you’ll notice more evidence of Chinese influence in this temple.