— White Cattle and Black Stone —
COMING SOON!
Meaning of its name: ‘Tempel of the Mountain of the Valley’, referring to either the Campuhan hill or mount Batur or both
Also called: PURA GUNUNG RAUNG
Location: In Taro village
Map: Taro, Tegallalang, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia
Dates back to: 8ᵗʰ century
Region: Around Ubud
Theme: Mountain Temples
Requirements for visit: Seek permission before entering. Bring your own sarong.
Accessibility: Flat ground throughout the complex, with a few steps at the gates.
Founding legends
Taro is regarded as one of Bali’s most ancient villages, and its origins are inseparable from the figure of Rsi Markandeya, also known as Dang Hyang Markandeya. According to legend, Markandeya was meditating on Mount Raung in East Java when he received divine instruction to travel to Bali and establish a settlement and ritual center there. Accompanied by hundreds—some accounts say thousands—of followers, he began clearing forested land below Mount Agung. The attempt ended disastrously when many of his followers died from illness, which Markandeya understood as a sign that the proper ritual foundations had not yet been laid.
He returned to Mount Raung in sorrow and contemplation, where further meditation revealed the necessity of correct offerings and spiritual preparation before opening the land. On his second journey to Bali, this time accompanied by fewer followers, he succeeded. Guided by a mysterious light emanating from a tree (taru), he identified an auspicious site and established a pasraman and temple. From this association, the settlement became known as Taro, and the temple was named Gunung Raung, recalling Markandeya’s original spiritual center in Java.
Some narratives further connect this moment to the founding of Pura Besakih and Pura Gunung Lebah, positioning Taro and Gunung Raung as part of the earliest sacred geography shaping Balinese Hinduism.
Temple layout
The temple complex follows the classical Balinese tripartite structure: the nista mandala (outer courtyard), madya mandala (middle courtyard), and utama mandala (innermost sacred space). Entry is marked by a candi bentar, a split gate symbolizing cosmic balance and the relationship between spirit (purusa) and matter (prakerti).
Within the middle courtyard stand several bale, open-sided pavilions used for meetings, preparation of offerings, and ritual activities. These structures are decorated with carvings depicting Hindu cosmology and episodes associated with Markandeya’s spiritual journey. One of the most striking architectural features is a long ceremonial pavilion whose seating platform was carved from a single tree trunk, emphasizing continuity between forest, ritual, and architecture.
In the innermost courtyard rises a prominent meru shrine with multiple black-thatched tiers symbolizing Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain. Its unusually grand proportions are linked to the temple’s distinctive orientation: worship here is directed westward, toward Mount Raung in Java, rather than northward (kaja) toward Bali’s central mountains. This orientation sets the temple apart within Balinese sacred architecture.
A seven
A barong
Role in agrarian traditions
Pura
Role in agrarian traditions
Pura Agung Gunung Taro occupies a central place in Balinese narratives concerning the origin of agriculture and land opening. Markandeya is remembered not only as a religious teacher but as a bearer of knowledge about living in balance with nature—principles that underpin wet-rice cultivation and water management.
In contemporary discourse, the temple is framed as a symbolic starting point for Bali’s agrarian order and the ethical foundations of irrigation culture. It stands as a memory-site for early land-clearing rituals, sustainable farming practices, and the worldview that later crystallized into Bali’s highly organized irrigation traditions. In this sense, the temple is not only sacred but pedagogical, embodying an inherited understanding of human responsibility toward land and water.
Sacred white cattle
Taro village is unique in Bali for raising sacred white (albino) cattle. These animals are closely associated with Shaivite traditions and with Markandeya’s spiritual legacy. They are considered ritually pure and play an important role in ceremonies connected to fertility, protection, and agricultural cycles.
The cattle are kept in an enclosure at the southern end of the village. Rather than being sacrificed, they are ritually lent for ceremonies elsewhere—a process governed by strict protocol, comparable to requesting holy water. In certain rites, such as Ngasti, the cattle are led from forest to temple, circumambulate the ceremonial space three times clockwise, receive offerings, and are then returned, reinforcing the bond between temple, landscape, and livestock.
Ritual life and ceremonies
Pura Agung Gunung Taro functions as a major regional temple serving surrounding communities. It hosts regular odalan(temple anniversary) ceremonies as well as large-scale cycle rituals that draw significant congregations. The temple is a living ritual space, not a static monument.
Documented ceremonies include Ngelinggihan, during which sacred symbols are temporarily installed in elevated shrines, and large barong processions associated with village protection and spatial cleansing. Young girls perform Rejang, an ancient temple dance in which pre-pubescent dancers embody divine presence during preparatory phases of major festivals. These practices underscore the continuity of ritual knowledge across generations.
Contemporary practice
Today, Pura Agung Gunung Taro remains an important pilgrimage destination for devotees seeking purification, blessings, and spiritual strengthening, particularly in relation to Markandeya’s legacy and Shaivite worship. Visitors are expected to observe Balinese temple etiquette, including wearing proper attire (kamen/sarong and selendang) and respecting local adat rules governing ritual purity.
As in other Balinese temples, access to inner courtyards is restricted for those considered ritually impure, including individuals in mourning periods or women who are menstruating. At the same time, contemporary accounts note practices of hospitality around the temple—shared meals, drinks, assistance with temple dress, and opportunities to participate in preparing offerings—allowing respectful visitors to be gently integrated into the rhythm of devotional life.
South of the temple lies the Mason Elephant Safari Park, home to a herd of elephants rescued from the forests of Sumatra.
Bibliography
Kempers, A. J. Bernet Monumental Bali. Singapore: Periplus Editions, 1991.
Mason, Victor Bali Bird Walks. Singapore: APA Publ. U. Höfer Press, 1992.
Pistor, Romina Kunst als Moment : eine ethnologische Fallstudie mit Walter Spies. Berlin: Regiospectra Verlag, 2015.
Spitzing, Günter Bali. Tempel, Mythen und Volkskunst auf der tropischen Insel zwischen Indischem und Pazifischem Ozean. Köln: DuMont, 1983.
Stowell, John Walter Spies: A Life in Art. Jakarta: Afterhours Books, 2012.
Nearby Temples
The area around Ubud cut through by valleys in north-south direction which makes traveling to the east or west longer than it seems if you merely look at a map.
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A few valleys away to the east you can reach Pura Telaga Waja. To the west West-Central Bali, Tampaksiring
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Photos and text © 2025 Alida Szabo.
