Kehen Temple in Bangli

Mountainous Bangli, Bali's only landlocked regency, compensates for its coastal deficit with some of the most spectacular scenery on the island. Bangli town is also home to the island's second largest temple, the beautiful 11th-century Pura Kehen. Its location is dramatic, perched on the edge of a high cliff with a picturesque sunset view. The temple is carved from an enormous limestone rock.

It has three courtyards connected by steps, and is decorated with carvings and statues. In the first courtyard is a huge Banyan tree, surrounded by walls inlaid with Chinese porcelain. In the next courtyard, multi-roofed shrines (merus) dominate the area. On the right side of this inner courtyard are three throne shrines representing the Hindu Trinity, Brahma, Wisnu and Siwa.

I took a photo of our group on the steps of the temple, accompanied by Mawa, our guide. Since more than 90% of the people on Bali are Hindu, Mawa shared information on their religion with us as we passed many different temples on our travels.