The temple itself is not that big. The whole place is just one big garden. Ok to go, but not a priority, considering that Bali has soo many temples to look at. Seeing this among the different temples will not wow you anymore and can actually give this a miss, unless it is just to fill up your day trip.
Taman Ayun temple is a royal temple situated approx 18km from Sanur, will take approx 45mins to one hour to reach. As it was a royal temple back in the early 1900’s I was expecting it to be more palacious and extravagant. However it was rather subdued and the only colour to be found was on the alter in front of the cock fighting pit. Entrance fee to the site is 30k rupiah each and they provide you with a sharing. The site consists of well paved walk ways around the main temple site in the centre of well kept gardens, and the whole place is a surrounded by a moat. Will take at the most one hour to look round everything. If you are touring the central area then worth a stop. There are toilets free to use.
Don't wait massive impression from visiting this place but i like quiet atmosphere there, clean territory, not many tourists there. Not worth to visit if you are far away but if you are in Mengwi area you should visit it!
Tuesday 10th September and we were on an all day tour of the Royal Lake and Temples Tour, which we booked through the Tui Representative at our Hotel.
Our visit to this sacred temple complex was the final stop of our tour. This Temple which has been designated as a UNESCO world heritage site is situated in Mengwi Village about 18 kilometres west of Denpasar, the Capital.
The name Taman Ayun translates to mean temple in a beautiful garden. It comprises 4 different divisions, each ranking higher than the next.
On arrival at the complex we were given a sarong to cover our legs. Admission fees were included in the price of our tour.
Our first port of call in the complex was at the Wantilan or cockfighting pavilion, with its mock up reconstruction of a fight.
Our Guide walked us around the complex explaining some of the history and the religious symbolism.
We learned about the significance of the number of floors in the numerous Meru towers, pagoda-like shrines throughout the complex.
A massive ornate gate is the entrance to the main most sacred section it is only during ceremonies
We were not permitted to enter the most sacred part of the Temple, Utama Mandala, however it was possible to walk around the perimeter wall and look in.
In the grounds there is a small cultural centre along with a cinema showing a brief history, it is informative and lasts about 10 minutes.
It was very refreshing that there were no stalls or hawkers here.
The temple offers a lovely view. A perfect place to take photos while enjoying the historical aspects of the vicinity.
