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Pura
HISTORY & CULTURESbeginner
Definition
A Balinese Hindu temple compound organised around a series of progressively sacred courtyards separated by split gates (candi bentar) and roofed shrines (meru). Pura are not buildings in the Western sense but landscapes — outdoor ceremonial spaces defined by walls, gates, and pagoda-like towers. Every Balinese village maintains multiple pura for different ritual functions, and their spatial hierarchy reflects the cosmological order of the Balinese universe.
Example
Pura Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung is Bali's most sacred temple complex — a series of over 80 individual shrines ascending the mountain, with multi-tiered meru towers rising up to 11 roofs to indicate the rank of the deity enshrined.