Pura Puseh Batuan (Batuan Temple)

Pura Puseh Batuan (Batuan Temple) tickets and tours: which one to book

Batuan Temple is a village temple, and visitors simply pay a small entrance donation at the gate, where a sarong and sash are handed over to wear inside. There are no time slots or advance tickets, and a visit takes well under an hour, so there is no need to book anything specifically for it. The temple lies on the main road between the south of the island and Ubud, and most travellers see it as the first or last stop of a day tour. The usual format is a private car with a driver who doubles as a guide, starting from Ubud or the southern resorts and combining the temple with a waterfall such as Tegenungan or Kanto Lampo, the rice terraces of Tegalalang, the Monkey Forest in Ubud and often a coffee plantation with a tasting.

Shared small-group versions follow the same circuit. Entry fees at each stop and lunch are usually extra. Some tours add a craft element, such as a batik workshop, while others are built around adventure: buggy or ATV rides through the countryside, sometimes with a walk through the narrow gorge at Beji Guwang. There is also an evening option that pairs a visit to the temple with a performance of the kecak dance and a Balinese dinner. Independent travellers can get there easily by taxi or scooter.

Visiting Pura Puseh Batuan (Batuan Temple): what to see and how to behave

Pura Puseh Batuan is the village's temple of origin, one of the three core temples every traditional Balinese village maintains, and it shares its grounds with the village temple, Pura Desa. Batuan is an old settlement: a royal inscription mentions it in the early 11th century, although the present buildings have been rebuilt and restored many times, most recently in the 20th century. The temple is admired for its carving. A tall split gate leads into the outer courtyard, and a covered inner gateway in soft grey stone and red brick, crowded with demons, foliage and guardian figures, marks the way to the inner precinct. Look closely at the walls and shrine bases, where every surface is worked in relief, and at the tiered thatched pavilions within.

Batuan is also known for its own school of painting, dense with detail, and for the old Gambuh dance-drama, sometimes performed at the temple, so the village is worth a stroll beyond the gate. Visitors may walk through the outer and middle courtyards, but the innermost sanctum is reserved for worshippers. Wear the sarong and sash provided, do not step over or onto offerings laid on the ground, keep lower than the priests during prayers and avoid pointing your feet at shrines. Women who are menstruating are traditionally asked not to enter. The temple stands in Batuan, in the Sukawati district of Gianyar, about 10 km south of central Ubud and roughly an hour's drive from the southern beaches.

Pura Puseh Batuan (Batuan Temple): opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The temple is open to visitors throughout the day, from morning until early evening. Morning visits are the coolest and quietest, before day tours from Ubud pass through; late afternoon light also suits the carvings. The dry season, from April to October, is the most comfortable time to be in Bali, although the temple is a short stop that works in any weather. Plan around the temple's anniversary festival, held every 210 days according to the Balinese calendar, when the courtyards fill with offerings, music and worshippers in white;

visitors may watch respectfully from the side, but parts of the temple may be closed. Galungan and Kuningan also bring colourful ceremonies, while on Nyepi, the Day of Silence, usually in March, the entire island shuts down and no visits are possible. Allow about 45 minutes. Combine the temple with the Sukawati art market, a waterfall nearby and an afternoon in Ubud.