Petitenget Temple in Bali is easy to identify with its red bricks and sandstone. As you climb up the temple’s dragon staircase, you will enter a spacious courtyard. Erected in this courtyard are a number of pavilions and shrines of different forms. The temple is one of the Dang Kahyangan collection of sea temples. This temple, founded by Dang Hyang, a Hindu priest, is believed to offer spiritual protection to the island.
Also known as Pura Petitenget, the temple is home to many cultural performances too. Sometimes you will see traditional dance rehearsals taking place in the grand pavilion of the temple premises. On most weekend mornings, the pavilion is filled with young Balinese ladies rehearsing for future dance performances.
A few metres away, you will come across Masceti Ulun Tanjung, a small temple where you will find the locals praying for protection. The temple was their haven asking for protection against various diseases and disasters such as famine. If you book a Seminyak hotel in Bali, you will have enough time to explore the main temple as well as the small temple.
The temple is not difficult to locate, not only because it is one of the few landmarks in Indonesia but also because it is surrounded by resorts and hotels such as Anantara Seminyak Bali Resort. Although the surrounding hotels indicate modern sophistication, the temple still bears ample testimony for antiquity in architecture. If you need a little diversion from the world of antiquity, there are a number of clubs and restaurants just outside the temple. You can always drop in to have a quick bite.
If you drive a private vehicle, you are supposed to buy a parking ticket. With the parking ticket, you will be entitled to enter the temple’s large parking space. You can find the temple more easily from the parking space, as it is perched on the right. Even if you do not enter the parking space, the temple is easy to identify with its big old trees. The best time to visit the temple is sunset. Feel calmness and serenity settling slowly within you in a busy environment.
Damon Starky is a creative nomadic travel writer, who is well informed and experienced on a wide range of interests that would connect to the needs of any type of traveler. Google+
