Pura Lempuyang Temple Bali
Pura Lempuyang Temple is one of the most sacred and oldest temples in Bali. It comes with its uniqueness such as its natural environment, specifically the part of the forest.
This temple which is also called Lempuyang Luhur Temple is one of six Sad Kahyangan Temples which is located in the eastern Bali.
Meanwhile the other five temples are Pura Pusering Jagat in Gianyar, Batukaru in Tabanan, Uluwatu Temple in Badung, Goa Lawah Temple in Klungkung, and Besakih Temple in Karangasem.
Beside this place is a sacred area, Pura Lempuyang Temple comes with pure forest area with its coast and valleys that make East Bali look beautiful. You can also experience the green tropical trees of the Gods Island.
These temples were founded in 11th century AD. It happened when King Udayana with his queen which is accompanied by Mpu Kuturan rule the island.
Pura Sad Kahyangan was founded in order to protect the island. It makes people continue to live their life with teaching of religious.
How to Get to Lempuyang Temple
Pura Lempuyang Temple is located on the eastern part of the island. For those of you who come from Ubud, you have to spend 2 hours to get to the location.
Meanwhile, if you check point is from Canggu you have to spend 2 and half hours to get to the attraction.
If you want to stay for a couple of days while heading to East Bali, it is recommended for you to stay in Amed. This small town takes only thirty minutes from Pura Lempuyang Luhur Temple.
You can also get to Pura Lempuyang from South and West of Bali on a day trip. For example, it is possible for you to visit this location alone or by accompanying guide from Uluwatu, Seminyak, Ubud, or Canggu.
It is recommended for you to rent a scooter. The cost that you have to spend is 50k IDR per day for a scooter. You can explore the site by yourself. Renting a driver is another option that you can choose.
This option has been taken by many tourists who want to explore Bali for day trips. The cost for a driver is around 500k IDR per 8 hours.
Pura Lempuyang Temple Location
The location of this temple is in Tista Village at the district of Abang, Karangasem Regency.
From the capital city of this province, you can reach the location of Pura Lempuyang Temple through Candi Dasa which is also a tourist destination. After that, you have to pass through the Amlapura city which takes 2 hours away.
Or you can also take another route to get there by passing through the Karangasem Strait Subdistrict. You will pass through the Semarapura city that will lead you to the Besakih destination.
Entrance Fees of Pura Lempuyang Temple
For entrance fees you can give donations as much as you want. But it is recommended for you to donate around 15k up to 50k IDR / person. That range of fees is normal price when you enter temple in Bali.
For parking fee, you just have to spend your money for about 5k up to 10k IDR. And for sarong rental, the price that you have to pay is about 15k IDR.
This is a must thing to wear before you enter the temple. You it is recommended for you to take on if you have it.
Opening Hours of Pura Lempuyang Temple
For tourists, the official opening hour for Lempuyang Temple is from 07.00 up to 17.00. Meanwhile, for purposes of worship, this tourist destination is opened 24 hours per day.
Best Time to Visit Pura Lempuyang Temple
The dry season of Bali Island is between April & October. Meanwhile, it depends on the experience that you want to take when visiting Pura Lempuyang Temple. It is recommended for you to get to the destination in early morning or late afternoon.
At the temple area in early morning, you will get fresher and cooler atmosphere on the hill while you can also enjoy the green nature.
There are many beautiful green plants and trees while enjoying the sightseeing in the morning. You have to walk along footpaths and stairs to the main destination from the ticket locker.
But for those of you who are too lazy to wake up in early morning, the alternative time that you can take is late afternoon. The view that you will see is also absolutely amazing before the sun sets.
The atmosphere becomes shady as this is the perfect time to take a picture of beautiful moments when you can combine sunset views and split gates.
Things to Know Before Going to Pura Lempuyang Temple
For those of you who visit Lempuyang Temple, you have to respect religion of the locals. These are a couple of tips that you have to keep in mind before visiting this place.
7 temples exist – There are seven temples that many people do not realize within the sites. If you want to visit all of the temples on the sites, you have to take 4 hours to finish the destination.
First temple for photo – The first temple offers the famous spot to take picture, so you do not have to wait for a long time before getting your first picture of the day.
Covering your shoulders – You are not allowed to visit Pura Lempuyang Temple if you do not cover your shoulders. So, it is always recommended for you to wear long sleeve shirt or wear scarf to cover your shoulders.
Kissing is disallowed – As the most religious temple in Bali, there is no kissing allowed in public while visiting Pura Lempuyang Temple.
Drone is disallowed – Even though there are a couple of drone footage of this oldest temple in Bali, but you will not allow to fly your drone above the sites.
What to Expect from Pura Lempuyang Temple
The location of Pura Lempuyang Temple is in the Mount Lempuyang slope. It is about 1,180 meters above sea level.
This temple is known as the most sacred temple on the island, so in a couple of past years this temple becomes more famous all over the world because of the Instagram.
The temple comes with two parts which are an upper and a lower level. You can climb the upper level in order to experience the beautiful view from above.
For those of you who love to hike, this is the perfect place for you as you can get trekking experience while visiting religious and ancient site and enjoying beautiful panoramic views.
There are 7 different sanctuaries that you can find in the complex, but Pura Lempuyang Temple is the most famous one. You can find the most amazing views that you will not find in any temples in Bali.
From this temple gate, the whole landscape looks very awesome. The gate is also known as “The Gateway to Heaven”.
Even though it is very far from a couple of popular tourist destinations in Bali, but still many tourists spend their money to go to the East to enjoy and experience the beautiful views to catch some amazing photos.
Capturing Beautiful Photos
For the last couple of years, many travelers around the world are shocked by amazing pictures on Instagram.
The pictures that make them surprised are the images of Pura Lempuyang Temple gate with the reflection of water which has been added into the landscape.
This is one of many reasons why a lot of tourists eager to visit this temple and want to take pictures of the gates.
Meanwhile, there are a couple of travelers that are disappointed after they visit this tourist destination.
The cause is they could not find water reflection object like pond or lake at the temple. It is just the photo trick by staff that uses small mirror under lens to bring the reflection effects of water.
However, this fact does not be allowed to make you visit the temple as there are still a couple of beautiful views that you can enjoy. One of the main destinations that you have to visit is gate of heaven.
Maybe there are many travelers who visit Pura Lempuyang just for photography reason. If it is your purpose, the best time to visit this site is before 10.00 am if you want to avoid a long line.
Rules and Prohibitions
There is a couple of rules and prohibition that you have to admit when visiting Pura Lempuyang Temple. And if you disallow them, there will be something bad happens that you do not want to get. These are prohibition when visiting the temple.
- You must purify deeds, words and thoughts
- Do not say rude things when entering the temple area
- Menstruating or breastfeeding women are prohibited to enter the temple area
- Kids who still got no milk teeth are disallowed to visit the temple
- Do not bring your gold jewelry as it is going to mysteriously disappear
- Do not eat pork when visiting Pura Lempuyang Temple
Why Menstruation Women Should Not Visiting Lempuyang Temple?
Pura Lempuyang Temple is known as sacred place by Hindus especially in Bali, even though it is popular for its photography spot. Meanwhile, the temple existence is very respected by all of the people in Bali.
All of tourists should obey a couple of prohibitions when visiting the temple. It is based on the local people believe in order to keep the temple sanctity.
One of the examples of the prohibitions is that menstruating women or period are prohibited to enter Lempuyang Temple and a couple of other temples within the grounds.
This prohibition is not only applied for visitors who want to visit the temple but also women of natives.
Because of that, a couple of visitors especially international tourists feel bad about this prohibition and some even say that this kind of prohibition is discrimination for women.
Maybe you feel the same as those women, but let’s check the detail explanation about this prohibition below.
Hindus people in Bali Island consider all of the temples are the sacred and holiest area. They use them to worship the God which is Ida Sang Hyang Widhi.
They consider the menstruation blood as bad impact and they consider this dirt will make the sanctity of the temple lose.
Where to Stay Near Lempuyang Temple
Visiting Pura Lempuyang Temple is the dream that many travelers want to do recent days especially for those of you who are very curious to experience the gate of heaven.
No doubt about it as many people visit the gate in late afternoon so that they can see the perfect atmosphere of amazing sunset view in the sky.
If you want to get this experience, you have to return back in the evening. For your information, it is difficult for you to find villas and hotels near the temple.
Meanwhile, there are a lot of accommodations that you can find nearby Amed Beach Area.
You just have to spend 30 minutes from Pura Lempuyang Temple and you can get there by driving car and motorcycle.
Dress Code to Visit Pura Lempuyang Temple
For those of you who visit Pura Lempuyang Temple, you have to wear dress code. There are two main dress codes that you have to wear such as a scarf and a sarong.
The scarf is a cloth which is tied at your waist, while sarong wraps around your waist to your ankles.
You can get a scarf and a sarong which is rented by staff of the temple as you enter the sites. Or you can also buy them in online shop or art market.
Both of dress codes should be worn by women and men. These two clothes are a symbol for guiding yourself from bad impact or behavior.
This dress code should not only be worn when visiting Pura Lempuyang Temple but also a couple of other temples such as Tanah Lot, Uluwatu Temple, Besakih Temple and many more.
