Most people have wondered why Bali has so many temples. Here’s the simplest answer; the native of this country practice three religions rolled into one – Bali Darma or Balinese Hindu.
As a result, the Balinese have many temples and many different ceremonies to honour Hinduism, Buddhism, and ‘respect your ancestor’ tradition.
The name of Bali actually comes from the temple in India, Balipuram, or small Bali.
A trip to Bali won’t be complete without visiting any of these temples that tells the history of Bali and its religion.
Ba Yon Temple
Ba Yon Temple features approximately 50 stone towers with intricately carved with the four faces of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara on most of them. Set in the middle of Angkor Thom, it was built in the late 12th century to serve as the official state temple of Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII.
Featuring a serene expression, the stone carvings are easily the most recognisable structures of the ancient Khmer Kingdom, with each of the faces measuring four metres in height and oriented toward the four cardinal points. Ba Yon Temple is also flanked by two long walls with intricate bas-relief scenes of battlefields, markets, religious rituals, and cockfighting.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992, is Siem Reap’s most iconic temple. Located within the expansive Angkor Archaeological Park, it was constructed during the 12th century to worship the Lord Vishnu (a Hindu deity) and, according to scholars, served as a funerary temple for King Suryavarman II.
Today, you can still see five lotus-like towers that stand 65 metres tall and 2,000 stone carvings of Apsaras (celestial dancers). It’s stunning at any time of day but sunrise is an extra-special time of day to photograph this majestic temple.
Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom or Big Angkor was constructed by King Jayavarman VII (1181-1219) as the last capital city of the Angkorian era.
The largest site in the Angkor Archaeological Park, 5 20-metre-tall gates surround Angkor Thom, with intricate stone carvings of elephants and the 4-faced Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, while causeways leading to the gates are flanked with 108 statues of gods and demons.
Notable temples found within Angkor Thom include Ba Yon Temple, Terrace of the Elephants, and Ta Prohm Temple.
Ba Phuon Temple
Ba Phuon Temple is a three-tiered temple mountain that was built in honour of the Hindu God Shiva and served as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II during the mid-11th century.
Located northwest of Ba Yon Temple, its pyramid-like shape is an architectural representation of the mythical Mount Meru.
Despite several restoration attempts, much of Ba Phuon Temple had largely collapsed by the 20th century. Visitors can still find unique animal carvings at the entrance to the central sanctuary.
Ta Prohm Temple
Ta Prohm Temple gained international recognition after it was featured in the video game-inspired movie Tomb Raider.
This tranquil monastery was built during the mid-12th century by King Jayavarman VII in commemoration of his mother.
Fitted with 600 rooms, courtyards, and galleries, it was believed to have housed a population of over 70,000 people, most of them being high priests, monks, assistants, dancers, and labourers.
The ruins of Ta Prohm Temple are now enveloped by huge trees and hanging vines, giving visitors the feeling of discovering a temple lost in the jungle. The temple is about 1 km east of Angkor Thom.
