Taman Ayun Temple

Taman Ayun Temple (Pura Taman Ayun) is a 17th-century Balinese Hindu royal temple located in Mengwi, Badung Regency, Bali. Built in 1634 by King I Gusti Agung Putu of the Mengwi Kingdom, it served as the family temple of the royal dynasty. Surrounded by a wide moat and landscaped gardens, it is noted for its multi-tiered meru shrines and traditional Balinese architecture and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape of Bali.

Visitors can expect a large temple complex surrounded by a moat and set within manicured gardens and ponds. The outer courtyards are open to visitors and feature landscaped lawns, stone gateways, and views of towering black thatched meru shrines with multiple tiers inside the inner sanctum. The inner temple courtyard is reserved for worship and viewed from outside. The setting is tranquil with lotus ponds, banyan trees, and traditional Balinese pavilions, suitable for sightseeing, photography and cultural exploration.

Built in 1634 by King I Gusti Agung Putu, founder of the Mengwi Kingdom, as the Pura Kawiten or family temple for the royal dynasty to honor ancestors. It underwent major restoration in 1937. In 2012 it was inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy'.

An important Balinese Hindu temple dedicated to ancestral spirits of the Mengwi royal family and to deities associated with water and agriculture. It exemplifies the Tri Hita Karana philosophy and traditional Balinese temple architecture with its meru shrines, courtyards and moat, and remains an active place of worship and ceremony for the local community.