Taman Ayun Temple is located in the village of Mengwi, Badung Regency, about 18 km west of the town of Denpasar. It is a very beautiful temple, as its name means: Taman means the garden, and Ayun it means: lovely, so Taman Ayun is a lovely temple with lovely gardens. Besides its beauty, the Temple of Taman Ayun is also considered historic, which means that in 2002 the regional government of Bali indicated to UNESCO that the temple was listed as world heritage.
The Temple of Taman Ayun is a Mother Temple (Paibon) to the kingdom of Mengwi. Built in the Javanese year of 1556 (1634 AD) by the King of Mengwi, I Gusti Agung Putu. Initially, I Gusti Agung Putu built the temple to worship its ancestors in the north of Mengwi village. The temple was called the Park of Genter. When Mengwi became a great kingdom, I Gusti Agung Putu moved Genter Park to the east and expanded the complex. The enlarged temple was officially declared the Taman Ayun Temple.
The festival of the temple is held in the fourth month of the Javanese year of 1556 on Kliwon Tuesday-Medangsia. Until today, every Kliwon Tuesday Wuku Medangsia in the Javanese Calendar (Saka) is held in this temple for the anniversary of the temple.
Taman Ayun Temple has been restored in a number of ways. In 1937, a large-scale restoration was carried out. In 1949 the Kori Agung (grand room), the Bentar temple, was restored. A large wantilan was also built during the time. The third restoration was carried out in 1972, and the restoration was finalized in 1976.
The complex of Taman Ayun Temple has a length of 100 meters and a width of 250 metres. The complex consists of an external courtyard and three internal courts. The inner courts, facing stone fences, have different heights and the innermost is the highest.
On the exterior side of the pool is the outer court Taman Ayun Temple, also known as Jaba. A bridge over the pool connects the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard. At the end of the bridge, on the inside side of the courtyard, is a Bentar gate followed by a path to the inner courts. At each end of the bridge are two giant statues.
There is some kind of a small guardhouse on the left side of the Taman Ayun Path, near the gate. There is a Wantilan at the first inner court (a type of hall) where some ceremonies are usually held, including a cockfighting ceremony with a ceremony of blood scarification to the eviled spirit, which also includes the ritual ceremonies at the temple.
There is a path across the first inner courtyard and dividing it into two parts and connecting the first inner courtyard to the second inner courtyard. To the southwest is a round gazebo, where you can relax and enjoy the beauty of the temple.
Next to the gazebo is a pond covered with water lilies. There’s a small post right at the center of the pool sprinkling water in nine different directions. To the east is a cluster of temples, which are called the temples of Luhuring Purnama.
At the end of the Taman Ayun Temple path, there is a gate dividing the first inner courtyard into two. The gate leads to the second inner court located on a higher ground than the first. On the other side of the gate, there is a building that functions as a partition at the second inner court. The Taman Ayun Temple partition decorated with a relief sculpture depicting nine gods guardian compasses.
To the east is a small temple called the temple of Dalem Bekak. There’s a Bale Kulkul around the corner to the west with its roof rising high. The third inner court, also the highest and most inner court, is the most holy area. The main door, known as the pintu gelung, is located right in the middle and open only at ceremonies.
The main gate of the Temple of Taman Ayun is flanked by the gates that allow people to access the courtyard to make daily routines at the Temple of Taman Ayun.
The beauty of the inner part of thisTemple will be enjoyed by visitors along the way with some nice photo point.