Temples in Indonesia

Borobudur in central Java is the largest Buddhist monument in the world, built in the 8th century as nine stacked platforms that pilgrims walk clockwise, rising past some 2,670 relief panels to a crown of stupas. It stood abandoned for centuries before being restored. Java's entries on this list are monuments of that kind; Bali's are living places of worship.

Best Time: May - September

Prambanan, about 17 kilometres from Borobudur, is the largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia, built in the 9th century with three tall shrines to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma facing three smaller ones for the animals that carry them. The Ramayana runs in relief around the inner balustrades, and is staged as dance on the open-air stage beside it in the dry season.

Tanah Lot sits on a rock off the Tabanan coast in Bali, cut off by every high tide, and belongs to a chain of sea temples along the south-west shore. Snakes living in the cave below it are said to guard the place. It is the most photographed temple in the country and the most crowded at sunset, so come at low tide in the morning to have the rock to yourself.

Situated west of Lake Bratan in Bedugul, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan is a 17th-century temple dedicated to the Hindu trinity of Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva. Surrounded by the lake which gives it a 'floating' appearance, the temple is constructed in traditional Balinese style with tiered shrines to honour the Hindu gods.

Sewu stands 800 metres north of Prambanan and is the second-largest Buddhist complex in Java after Borobudur, built a little earlier, with a main shrine ringed by more than 240 smaller ones. Its name means a thousand temples. A Buddhist compound this close to Hindu Prambanan is the clearest sign on this list that the two ran side by side in old Java.

One of Bali's most temples, Pura Luhur Uluwatu is located in Uluwatu. While the surf break is down a dirt road from the Jalan Labuan Sait main road, the temple requires a left diversion much before the dirt path. It is one of nine directional temples in Bali.

A few kilometres from Ubud, Indonesia, Goa Gajah or the "elephant cave" is a spiritual and cultural attraction filled with Buddhist and Shaivite relics and carvings. A wide-eyed demon-like structure welcomes you at the cave entrance, which further leads to a serene pool inside.

Pura Besakih, Bali's 'Mother Temple', is a majestic Hindu temple complex perched on the slopes of Mount Agung in Bali. The complex houses 23 separate temples and is believed to be at least 2000 years old. Surrounded by streams and rice paddies, the primary deities of this beautiful temple are Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu.

Considered as the mother temple of the former Bangli kingdom, the Pura Kehen or Kehen temple is a majestic structure in eastern Bali, dedicated to the God of Fire. Known for the massive Banyan tree inside the complex, the temple's inner sanctum is intricately carved with various Hindu gods and goddesses.

Located in Tanjung Benoa in Bali, Pura Dalem Ning Lan Taman Beji is a beautiful Hindu temple famous for it's intricately carved gateways. Made of white sandstone, three gateways frame the gold-painted wooden doors which have reliefs and motifs carved on them.

One of the most fascinating shrines in Bali, Pura Goa Lawah is famous for being built around a cave inhabited by bats. The 11th-century temple was built by Mpu Kuturan, one of the first pioneers of Hinduism in Bali and is designed in traditional Balinese style featuring three sanctums.

Pura Lempuyang Luhur is a Balinese Hindu temple located on the slopes of Mount Lempuyang in Karangsem. Lying 1175m above sea level, reaching the temple requires a steep climb of over 1700 steps. However, one can stop along the way to take some beautiful pictures of the panoramic Mount Agung and the candi bentar gate.

Pura Batu Bolong sits on a black volcanic outcrop two kilometres south of Senggigi on Lombok's west coast, named for the hole worn straight through the rock beneath it. Steps lead down to a shrine facing the strait, with Mount Agung on Bali across the water at sunset. Lombok is Muslim-majority, which makes this one of the few Balinese Hindu temples here that is not in Bali.

One of the few ancient religious places in Seminyak, Pura Petitenget is a 16th century Hindu temple constructed of beautiful red brick and sandstone. It is one of the series of sea temples that guard the island and has many small pavilions and shrines in its complex.

Built-in 1634 by the Raja of Mengwi dynasty to honour his noble ancestors, Pura Taman Ayun or the beautiful garden is an ancient temple in Mengwi, Bali. The ornamented gateway of the temple leads to a fountain spouting water through nine jets to represent the nine gods of Hinduism.

Arjuna Temple is one of the most popular attractions in Central Java. One of the five structures in the temple complex, it is an architectural marvel. This embodiment of Hindu heritage can be explored by hiring a horse ride around the complex. Frequented by foreigners and locals alike, the open green spaces make it a great place to bring children.

Having been featured in Microsoft’s Age of Empires II, the Kalasan Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples on the island, has become worth visiting for tourists visiting Indonesia for the first time. While the ride to Kalasan Temple through the countryside is a sight to behold, the temple itself is truly a spiritual experience.

Also called Ratu Boko Palace, this archaeological site in Java is mounted on a plateau next to Prambanan Temple Complex. It is the remains of a palace built during the 8th century AD by the Buddhist Shailendra dynasty. Reinforced with limestone, there are five gurapas or worship places adorned with tendril ornaments, tropical courtyards, eight circle pools and caves.

Close to Yogyakarta, Candi Plaosan is an exquisite complex of mid-9th century Buddhist shrines erected by descendants of the Shailendra dynasty. The site is divided into two areas, one with a pair of restored Javanese temples and another boasting over a hundred palatial shrines and stupas.