Besakih Temple Bali is the largest Hindu temple in Bali which local people call Pura Besakih. It has a beautiful view from the top of the temple area where we can see the vast natural panorama of the sea that this temple is visited by many tourists from all over the world. Besakih Temple is located in Besakih Village, Rendang District, Karangasem Regency, close to the best rafting spot in Bali, namely the Telaga Waja river, in the eastern part of the island of Bali. Located on the southwest side of the slopes of Mount Agung, the largest mountain in Bali. Because according to belief Mount Agung is the holiest and highest mountain on the island of Bali.

Bali's “mother temple”, Pura Besakih, is located more than 900 meters above the slopes of Mount Agung. It has been considered a sacred place since pre-historic times in Bali. The first recorded mention of its existence is from an inscription dating to 1007 AD. Since the Gelgel dynasty in the fifteenth century, it has been considered the central sacred shrine for the entire island.
All the loyalties of the Balinese people gather in Besakih. Each district has its own temple within the overall complex, as does each caste group. There are a total of 18 separate shrines. The three main temples are: Pura Penataran Agung, dedicated to Sang Hyang Widi Wasa: Pura Kiduling Kreteg, dedicated to Brahma; and Pura Batu Madeg, dedicated to Vishnu.
For Balinese, a visit to the holy places at Pura Besakih is a special pilgrimage. Each temple has its own odalan, or anniversary celebration, and on the full moon of the Balinese month of “Kedasa”, the entire Besakih complex celebrates the visit of the gods, with large numbers of pilgrims visiting.

History name of Besakih Temple
The Besakih's name comes from the word Basuki, the old language from Sanskrit Wasuki, and then it becomes the Ancient Java Language. In this Sanskrit, the Basuki means congratulation. In the mythology of Samudramanthana has mentioned that Basuki is a dragon that twines Mount Mandara. The omission has come from traditional megalithic which had indicated that it had to be a sanctified place. It seems the Besakih temple is coming from a very old era which is far before the existence of Hinduism influence. Hereinafter, an Ancient Bali king of Sri Kesari Warmadewa found the Merajan Selonding Temple in this temple complex area. He also commands the building of the Blanjong Monument which is located in Sanur Village. The Besakih Temple complex is built pursuant to cosmos balance. It is based on the nature conception which is disseminating the fundamental temple complex that is arranged to pursuant the way direction. So, this building can deputize nature as symbolic of the world's balance existence.

As we are used to, the waypoints of the road such as East, South, West, North, and center as center point, and each direction is named by a Mandala. In Hindu philosophy, the Panca Dewata is a manifestation of Lord Shiva. Like Penataran Agung Temple as the center, we find that the concept of the courtyard shows the concept of solidarity between the original Indonesian culture, namely the traditional megalithic form of Punden Berundak- Bawah with the concept of Hinduism. Ancient relics in the Besakih Temple complex can be classified into 2 types, namely relics belonging to the megalithic tradition and classical times. Besakih Temple next to the altar of Hindus in Bali is also a tourist destination visited by many tourists.

Besides Besakih Temple in Karangasem, there are many other interesting spots such as the Telagawaja River which is very suitable for rafting activities, Lempuyang Temple (Heaven's Gate), and Tirta Gangga, Taman Ujung, and many other snorkeling spots such as in Tulamben, Amed, and Blue lagoon. and also the best site for hiking to the highest mountain in Bali