Pura Penataran Sasih

According to Balinese tradition, the legendary sage Rsi Markandhya began his journey to Bali from Mount Raung in the Banyuwangi area of Java in the 8ᵗʰ century. After founding Pura Besakih on Mount Agung, he continued westward toward the Campuhan area. When he arrived, he was struck by the beauty and spiritual potency of the hill, which he named Gunung Lebah. A stream called Wos Kiwa (“Left Wos”) flowed along its western side, while Wos Tengen (“Right Wos”) ran along the eastern side. These two branches of the Wos (sometimes spelled Oos or Uos) river merge in the southern part of the hill. Recognizing the site’s strong spiritual energy, Rsi Markandhya established a sanctuary here—today known as Pura Gunung Lebah.

The temple has two distinct ritual functions. First, it serves as a clan temple (pura dadia) for the royal family residing in Ubud. Second, it is also a subak temple, which is why there is a single-tiered meru dedicated to Dewi Sri, the rice goddess.

A seven-tiered meru, set upon a base of turtles and serpents, stands in the temple’s kaja-oriented third courtyard and is symbolically dedicated to Gunung Lebah—literally “the mountain that sits in the deep,” a name associated with Mount Batur. This sanctuary highlights the temple’s place within Bali’s wider sacred geography: the highland lakes, in Ubud that of Batur are regarded as the primordial sources of the waters that nourish the island’s rice fields, and the meru thus creates a symbolic link between the fertile river valley of Ubud and the volcanic mountain whose waters sustain agricultural life.

This figure above is probably an image of a king who regarded himself as an incarnation of the Trimurti. In favour of this view is the very typical headdress consisting of a crown composed of rows of stylized lotus-petals. The three gods, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, are indicated respectively by the book, the third eye and the conch. Among the Balinese this figure is known at present under the name Tjaturmuka, on account of the four heads. The complete volcanic tuff figure was originally composed of three parts, of which the undermost is lost. Height: 116 cm. From the 13ᵗʰ or 14ᵗʰ century.

The Moon of Pejeng

From the temple forecourt, you can see the Campuhan Hotel. This bungalow complex developed from the house Walter Spies once built there.

A barong figure, a kris sword, and a Hanoman mask belong to the temple’s sacred ritual objects. The Hanoman mask and the kris are kept in the palace (Puri Ubud) and brought to the temple for ceremonies, while the barong figure is housed in one of the temple’s pavilions. They embody ancestral forces and guardian spirits that are believed to safeguard the community. During major rituals, these sacred items are ritually awakened, purified, and carried in processions, allowing the divine presence they represent to interact with the human world.

The most celebrated ceremony at Gunung Lebah is the temple anniversary, known locally as piodalan. It takes place during the full moon and consists of a series of elaborate purification and offering rituals, including Melasti (a purification procession to bring holy water), the collection and circulation of tirta (holy water) among related temples, Tawur Agung (a ritual to balance cosmic energies and purify the realm), and Mepada (ritual purification). A highlight is the symbolic descent of the temple’s Sesuhunan (ancestral spirit) deities to the nearby market, a rare procession in Bali. Local residents actively participate, creating vivid ceremonial procession

Photos and text © 2026 Alida Szabo