Lake Bratan, Bali, Indonesia
Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.
—Albert Szent-Györgyi (1893–1986), Hungarian chemist and Nobel laureate
Ulun Danu Bratan (also Beratan) Temple in Bali’s Bedugul highlands is a stunning water temple situated on a shimmering lake surrounded by malachite green hills and thickly forested mountains frequently shrouded in mist. The temple takes its name from Dewi Danu (goddess of the lake), the source of fertility and prosperity, and from Lake Bratan, which nourishes life by irrigating rice fields throughout Bali. Inside the sanctuary of this important Buddhist-Hindu temple with its multilevel pagoda shape (Meru) is a shrine dedicated to Brahma (the Creator) and a smaller temple honoring Dewi Bhogawati, goddess of food and drink.
If you prefer sacred sanctuary in a fecund natural setting, visit Ulun Danu Bratan Temple. Getting there means traveling from south to north on a road that lifts gently through rice fields, terraces, and cocoa plantations, affording lovely coastal views. At certain times of the year, local people come to the temple to pray and receive blessings.
This is not a public temple, and since tourists and nonmembers are not allowed inside the temple, head for the lake’s edge past the manicured gardens, stopping to meditate before the stunning Buddhist stupa (bell-shaped tower) along the way. Alternately, arrange for a small boat to take you out on the lake to view the temple at dawn, and pray or perhaps perform a fertility ritual.
Built in 1633 by the Raja (Hindu king) Mengwi, the temple is now a World Heritage site.