TAMAN AYUN TEMPLE - MENGWI

In the town of Mengwi is the great royal temple of Pura Taman Ayun. Built in the 17th century, the temple served as the family temple of the Mengwi dynasty, whose kingdom survived until the late 1800s. The name itself means beautiful garden, it is built on a high tableland which is surrounded by ponds. This give the effect from afar that the temple is floating on water. The temple complex has three ground areas which rise in levels. In the most external is a general purpose hall which is used for religious ceremonies and for stagging of dances. Close by a decorative fountain. There are multi-roofed structures, some of them having eleven roofs called “Meru”. The central section is surrounded by a small pond, thus the whole complex is symbolic of the great Mandhara Mountain turning in a sea of milk. Many people visit this temple, not for its antiquity as it was only renovated in 1937, but for its ambience and air of serenity. The temple has an ideal recreatinal garden, the air is cool and still provide a safe environment for all sorts of aquatic creatures which live in the pond.