The huge royal water temple of Pura Taman Ayun, surrounded by a wide, elegant moat, was the main temple of the Mengwi kingdom, which survived until 1891, when it was conquered by the neighbouring kingdoms of Tabanan and Badung. The large temple was built in 1634 and extensively renovated in 1937. It's a spacious place to wander around and you'll be able to get away from speed-obsessed group-tour mobs.
Pura Taman Ayun was built in 1634 by the Raja of Mengwi, I Gusti Agung Putu. It is a so-called Pura Kawiten or family temple, a special temple where the deified ancestors of the Raja Dynasty of Mengwi and important gods of other temples are honored.
The Taman Ayun temple is boardered by broad canals and it can only be entered via a bridge leading to a richly ornamented split gate called candid bentar which you will see in all our temple pictures. It gives access to the outer courtyard called jaba of the temple. From the gate, a footpath leads through the beautiful garden (Taman Ayun means beautiful garden) to a square pond with a fountain in the middle, that has 9 jets: 4 at the cardinal points, 4 at the sub-cardinal points and 1 in the center, in honor of the Dewa Nawa Sanga or nine main gods of Balinese Hinduism. There is a second courtyard and third one surrounded by water, where the most important shrines are located. In Bali, you can count the amount of roofs that the tiered meru has, in order to understand the importance of the temple. These are always odd number, the closer to 9, the more important.
Pura Taman Ayun is located about 8 km southwest of Ubud. It is a typical, touristy, yet mandatory.
The inner moat is surrounded by water and tourists are not allowed in.
Offerings are taken inside, crossing over the moat.
9 roof pagoda indicates that the temple is very important.
The area is large and as usual, the balance between natural and built elements is strikingly beautiful.
Bricky gates and towers
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