Taman Ayun Temple, Bali, Indonesia

The royal temple of the Mengwi Empire, known as Taman Ayun (Ahyun) Temple, is located at the Mengwi Village, a few kilometres north of Denpasar.  Generally, tourist will visit this place as it is along the route towards Tanah Lot Temple (more on this later).  It is a beautiful and very well maintained temple that is surrounded by water in a very well “manicured” garden.

The whole garden is surrounded by a moat and you have to cross a very short bridge to get into the outer compound of the temple premises.

You will see prayer offerings all over the temples (in fact all over the whole Bali island!) and even in their cars.

One thing to note, if you are having your menstrual cycle, you should skip visiting Bali temples as all of them will have a similar signage.

The main “gate” into the temple.

An alternative view of the gate.

The actual temple is also surrounded by another smaller moat, which has very calming lotus plants floating in it and with the soft sound of water flowing.

There was a prayer being done for a young boy and I managed to capture him coming down from a prayer platform.  He is such a cute little fella.

It’s not only a beautifully maintained temple, it is also a very calming place even though we were in a rush as we have agreed with our driver on being there for 20 minutes only.  I think it is a place where if you have the time, take a very slow stroll and enjoy the environment.  If thirsty, there are lots of road side stalls selling snacks and drink across the main entrance and … you can bargain with them even for a bottle of mineral water!