Besakih Temple

Known as the Mother Temple, Besakih is a temple complex that is the largest, most important and most sacred of the Hindu religion in Bali. 

During the 1917 earthquakes, many of the temples of the complex were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Later, in 1963, the complex survived a volcano eruption, something that the citizens of Bali believed to be a miracle.

It is made up of 23 temples over 6 terraces, the biggest and most important being the Pura Penataran Agung, which houses different areas representing the seven layers of the universe.

There are also three temples dedicated to the Hindu Trinity: Pura Penataran Agung represents Shiva (the destroyer), Pura Kiduling Kreteg represents Brahma (the creator) and Pura Batu Madeg represents Vishnu (the preserver).

What's more, four of the temples in the complex reflect the four forms of God through the cardinal points: Pura Batu Madeg in the north, Pura Kiduling Kreteg in the south, Pura Gelap in the east and Pura Ulun Kulkul in the west.