01On the slope of Agung
Balinese tradition says the rishi Markandeya came from Java with followers, cleared land on Agung’s flank and buried the panca datu, five metals, as the foundation of worship here. The temples climb in terraces at about 1,000 metres. The central Pura Penataran Agung belongs to Shiva, Pura Kiduling Kreteg to Brahma and Pura Batu Madeg to Vishnu, the three marked by red, white and black banners. Every Balinese clan and every regency has its own shrine in the complex, and its festivals fill the calendar.
02Eka Dasa Rudra, 1963
The greatest rite of Balinese Hinduism, Eka Dasa Rudra, the eleven Rudras, is meant to be held here once every hundred Shaka years. Preparations for it were under way in early 1963 when Agung, quiet for over a century, erupted on 17 March. Around 1,100 people died across the island. The lava flows passed within metres of the complex and left it standing, which many Balinese took as a sign. The rite was held again in full in 1979, at the turn of the Shaka century.
The life of this place
- 17 March 1963Gunung Agung erupts during preparations for Eka Dasa Rudra; the temples survive.
- 1979Eka Dasa Rudra is performed in full at the turn of the Shaka century.
About 2 hours from Denpasar. Wear a sarong and sash; only worshippers enter the inner courtyards. Mornings are clearer for the view of Agung.
