BALI BATUKARU TEMPLE

Location Batukaru Temple

Luhur Watukaru or Batukaru Temple is located at Wangaya Gede countryside, Penebel District and Tabanan regency, and west part of Bali Island. It is located right on the foot of Mount Batukaru and about 1.30 hours from Denpasar Airport. The location is very close to the Jatiluwih Rice Terrace tourist destination, if by chance you visit the Jatiluwih rice terrace, it would be nice if you visit this Batukaru Temple which with all its natural beauty and the uniqueness of the temple will make the atmosphere very pleasant. We from Bali Tour are ready to take you to see the beauty of this Batukaru temple, by offering a Hire Car with Driver program with very comfortable private transportation and a friendly and experienced driver will make the trip to this Batukaru temple very enjoyable.

Meaning of the name Batukaru

The word Batukaru originally comes from the word Watukaru which consists of two syllables namely "Watu" which means "Stone", in religion the word Batu means power, a source of energy. The word "Karu" which means "Coconut Shell". In literary language the term Wakukaru is mentioned but in the language of the people it is called Batukau. In general, in terms of the form and meaning of the word, it can be concluded that Batukaru means the closing power (penangkeb – Balinese), this can be compared to the use of Tirtha of Batukaru in the process of cultivating a ceremony. . According to the compass, the orientation towards the temple is the Southeast direction, with the orientation of the worship direction being Northwest (Gunung Batu Kau). According to information from the temple owner, Pura Luhur Batu Kau has a land area of ​​2600 m2 including the temple's profit. With the boundaries of the North side is the Protected Forest, the East side is the Protected Forest, the South side is the Forest and the village road, the West side is the Protected Forest.

History Batukaru Temple

The history of Batukaru until now is not known with certainty who built it, and to find the origin of the history of Batukaru requires data from various sources derived from inscriptions, chronicles and stories of local people. Because Batukaru Temple is classified as very old and this is evidenced by the discovery of several ancient artifacts that are here and are estimated to have existed in the megalithic era which is believed to have existed long before the royal period and during the royal period this Batukaru temple was restored. and used as a place of worship for Hindus at that time. As for some facts from the history of Batukaru that we managed to collect from various available sources, it can be concluded that:

1. The history of Batukaru Temple is based on written data such as the Chronicle that the epigraphy of Batukaru Temple was founded by Mpu Kuturan during the reign of the King of Ancient Bali during the Warmadewa Dynasty, namely King Masula Masuli who adhered to the teachings of Shiva Buddha which was estimated around the 12th century AD. Which functioned as the center of Catur Angga, Pura Sad Kahyangan Jagat Bali Luhur Batukaru, as one of the buffer parts of the island of Bali
2. Many expert views say that the one who founded Batukaru Temple was Mpu Kuturan on his holy journey to Bali in order to spread religious teachings. It can be seen that MPU Kuturan built Sad Kahyangan Jagat to motivate people to maintain balance. And the construction of Batukaru Temple is estimated to have occurred in the 11th century BC, along with the establishment of other Sad Khayangan temples on the island of Bali. The Sad Kahyangan Jagat Temples are six temples whose function is to maintain and surround the island of Bali to keep it safe and prosperous. According to the Balinese chronicle, the Sad Kahyangan temple consists of Goa Lawah Temple, Batukaru Temple, Uluwatu Temple, Pusering Jagat Temple, Lempuyang Temple and Besakih Temple. So it can be said that the Batukaru temple was built when Mpu Kuturan came to Bali and spread the teachings of Hinduism and built the temple as a place to worship God.
3. Based on the Buleleng chronicle which tells in 1605 AD, it tells about the Batukaru noble temple at that time being damaged by the King of Buleleng Ki Gusti Ngurah Panji Sakti who wanted to conquer the Tabanan area and damage the Batukaru temple but his actions were disturbed by thousands of wasps who were here. attacked the king and his troops so as to discourage his intention to attack Tabanan. From this it can be seen that Batukaru Temple existed when the king of Buleleng destroyed the temple in 1605 AD, so long before that this temple had been built and used as a place of prayer for local people in Tabanan village.
4. Based on the artifacts found placed in this Batukaru temple area, where if you look at this artifact the type is very similar to the artifacts found in Goa Gajah Temple, the difference is that the statue in the Elephant Cave is in a standing position while the statue in Batukaru is in a sitting position cross-legged, and it is estimated that the initial construction of the Batu Karu Temple was in the same era as the construction of the Elephant Cave Temple in Gianyar, whic is on period 10 - 11 AD, when the Warmadewa dynasty rule Bali with King Masula Masuli who was known to embrace the teachings of Shiva Buddha at that time

The history of the Batukaru temple can be inferred from these sources, where Batukaru Temple was built in the period 10-11 AD when Mpu Kuturan came to Bali and spread religious teachings and built the Sad Kahyangan Jagat temple where Batukaru Temple became one of the temples in line up of Sad Kahyangan temple. This Sad Kahyangan Temple possibility during the Warmadewa dynasty if the King Masula and Masuli had found out that the temple already existed, where if you look at the year Mpu Kuturan came first in Bali around 10 - 11 AD and the Marwadewa dynasty ruled around 12 AD, so it is possible that Mpu Kuturan brought religious influence to the Warmadewa dynasty so that at that time the king was very diligent with religious teachings and renovating and building other holy places, and this conclusion is based on the discovery of the same artifacts in Batukaru and Goa Gajah Temple which confirms that around 10 - 11 AD Batukaru temple was built. If the author has said something wrong, please do correction and inform us, because the Batukaru Temple is very old and there is no definite origin that says when it was built, so based on the discovery of artifacts, the chronicle is to connect them so that they find out the estimated year of Batukaru Temple was built.

Batukaru Temple Restoration

The restoration of Batukaru Temple took place in 1959, where once this temple was only rubble, sourced from the Buleleng chronicle if Batukaru Temple was previously damaged by the king of Buleleng who wanted to conquer the Tabanan area but his action was thwarted by the wasp troops in Batukaru who attacked the king and his troops so that the king retreated and gave up his intention to attack the village of Tabanan. Improvements were started gradually by the local community, and in 1977 the local government received attention in the form of assistance and restoration was continued until it looked like what you see when you visit this Batukaru temple. The main shrine at Pura Luhur Batukaru is in the form of a temple is Meru. This is clearly the influence of East Javanese and Indian architecture. The temple is a place of worship of Lord Mahadewa. The temple is flanked by the Perwara Temple. In the northeast and northwest corners there are Pelinggih Padma Ratu Bagus Panji and Ratu Puseh Kubayan.

Unique Batukaru Temple

As for Batukaru Temple, apart from being the oldest temple on the island of Bali and belonging to a row of sacred temples and very important for Hindus, it also has its own uniqueness that can only be seen at Batukaru Temple. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Tabanan Regency. As for some of the uniqueness of this Batukaru temple that you may need to hear that will make you not curious when visiting this very beautiful and enchanting Batukaru temple.

1. Pura Luhur Batukaru is part of the Padma Bhuwana Temple or the so-called nine temples located in every corner of the island of Bali, this is what makes this Batukaru temple very special. When you enter the temple grounds, you already feel a spiritual aura very high which makes your heart very calm and comfortable.
2. In the area of ​​the most sacred temple, there are many ancient artifacts that can be seen here in the form of menhirs and terih kampuh (carved or shaped stones) and also other artifacts scattered in the front yard of this Batukaru temple, while the age of these artifacts is estimated from megalithic era, and it can be said that this Batukaru temple is classified as the oldest temple
3. Located on the slopes of Mount Batu Karu which is sanctified by the local community, where the situation is still very natural, many shady trees make the air very cool here, you will not see an atmosphere like this anywhere else, only here you can feel like this being in a forest that is still very natural, and the surrounding forest is often used for trekking activities
4. Holy Water which is located to the right of the parking area of ​​the Batukaru temple which is very beautiful and charming, there you will find a small lake with a water source in the middle and this water is very purified by the local people here and according to local stories it is said that this holy water can purify the body and soul before performing prayers at this Batukaru temple
5. The religious ceremony at Batukaru Temple only lasts one day, very different from other Hindu temples in Bali which have a span of up to 3 days, the main ceremony will fall between Galungan and Kuningan holidays in Bali, while Galungan and Kuningan is the biggest holiday for all of Bali except north Bali and the villages called Bali Aga.
6. Besides that, the uniqueness of the Batukaru temple which is very beautiful and full of mystery can also be seen from the implementation of the ceremony where the time of the ceremony never involves a Brahmin priest, it is enough to be done by a local priest called a stake. This is a very unique thing, which is usually a big pretender to be led by a Brahmin priest

Batukaru Temple on Festival

Batukaru Temple during religious ceremonies can be crowded by thousands of Hindus who want to pray here, on the day of the ceremony, Batukaru Temple is closed to the public so that there is no disturbance in carrying out religious ceremonies which are very important for Hindus. Kubayan is commissioned holy occupation lead the temple ceremony and his status higher than all priests in Pretending pertinent Ancient. In the execution of praying during the temple festival or the certain day ceremony, it has to be preceded by doing pray in Beji Temple which is located in eastside of Watu Karu Temple or inside of Madya Mandala (middle area) and Nista Mandala (outside area). After doing pray in Beji Temple, then the praying is continued in the main temple building located in the center of temple area. This is also not need again clean the hand and gargle because, it has been conducted the hallowing of body by conducting pray in Beji Temple. This is specification of praying procession in Watukaru Temple.

Tri Mandala Concept at Batukaru Temple

As for the holy temples on the island of Bali, they adhere to the Tri Mandala system for temple buildings, the temple area is divided into 3 important parts, namely the outer part (nista mandala), the middle part (madya mandala and the main part (main mandala), as well as the Batukaru temple. This temple area is divided into three. The concept of this tri mandala was taught long ago by Mpu Kuturan who was on a holy journey to spread Hinduism on the island of Bali. The explanation of the tri mandala layout in Batu Karu Temple is as follows:

1. Outside area (Nista Mandala): In this area you can see a very large parking lot, and on the right you will see a ticket booth with officers on duty here, you can buy entrance tickets at this counter, there is a toilet here that you can use and also an information center for tourists who are here, the area is quite large
2. Middle area (Madya mandala): In this area you will walk through the stairs and there is a small gate in the middle which is so beautiful and looks very old, walking to the middle you will see a wantilan which is quite spacious and functioned as a resting place, a gong place when religious ceremonies are there. at Batu Karu Temple
3. Center area (Utama Mandala): In this area you will enter through the central area and you will see a gate that looks very old which is very beautiful and entering into the temple you will see Batu Karu Temple which is very full of spiritual aura will take you to a very beautiful experience and area this is the most sacred area

After refurbishing three area of this temple in some years ago, the element conception and structure of these three temple areas are progressively become everlasting and conceptual. This is especially in outside area where we can meet the existence of Wantilan building (Meeting Hall) which can be used for multifunction and it is located on the right of the entrance gate. The refurbishment at the parking area has made easy for the Hindu society or all tourists who pay a visit to this temple. The area is very large and very beautiful to the eye, with a very religious atmosphere that will make the atmosphere of visiting the temple very pleasant. The atmosphere of visiting Batukaru temple by visiting other temples is very different here, where you will really feel a very strong spiritual aura here with the design of an ancient and very old temple making the spiritual aura more pronounced, you can feel it yourself if you visit the temple Batukaru which is very sacred by Hindus on the island of Bali

Dress Code Batukaru Temple

As for visiting a temple on the island of Bali, tourists are expected to dress modestly and not dress openly to respect the Hindus here who pray. For this reason, at the Batukaru ticket booth, you can rent a kamen and scarf that you can use to get to the Batukaru Temple, and you can rent a kamen and scarf at the Batukaru ticket booth. So you don't need to be confused anymore to bring a sarong from your place, because here it is already provided. When entering the temple area, it is hoped that you will maintain good manners because this Batukaru Temple is one of the sacred temples that is very important for Hindus. Enjoy the adventure of visiting the Batukaru temple which is full of history and see the beauty of the surrounding nature which is so enchanting, a spiritual experience that you will not be able to forget when visiting this Batukaru temple.

Batukaru Temple Facilities

As one of the tourist destinations in Tabanan Regency, it has very complete facilities. there is a very large parking area, so you don't have to worry if you come here and don't get parking. there is a clean toilet you can use here by simply paying a donation, you can use the toilet here. There is a small shop selling food and drinks here, you can buy it here if you feel thirsty. A very important main facility that is very capable in welcoming tourists to visit this very old temple, a sensation that is extremely beautiful to visit one of the very important temples for Hindus on the island of Bali, this Batukaru Temple can be compared as well. with other temples such as Lempuyang Temple and Besakih Temple, because they are both the oldest temples and temples that play an important role in the history of Hindus in Bali.