The first word, which pops into our minds when we hear the word Bali, is temples. No wonder Bali is called €the city of temples€. So the visit to Bali means nothing if we haven’t worshipped at least one of the Bali’s temple. It is not necessary to visit all the temples but some of them are worth taking up the pain to worship them. You can complete your Bali trip in either one day’s time by visiting the nearby temples or you can extend your stay to visit some of the other thrilling temples in which case you will need some advance planning but as you know its all worth the effort.

1. Pura Besakih: Pura Besakih or the €Mother Temple€ as it is notably called is housed in East Bali. It’s a gigantic and complex structure fusing twenty-three separate temples is surely an eye catcher. The eye-pleasing feature of this temple is its axis that aligns with the peak of Gunung Agung, the tallest mountain and the most sacred site in all of Bali. Pura Besakih is the tourist’s charmer and the holiest place for other devout Balinese.

2. Pura Gunung Kawi: Pura Gunung Kawi or € Valley of the Kings€ recites in a gorge between rice fields. Through this gorge flows the Pakerisan River and the crags lining the river features shrines shaped into the stone felicitating kings and queens from earlier centuries. This place is neither a temple nor an actual tomb.

3. Tirta Empul: Tirta Empul is a very sacred place as it provides holy water for priests and bathing for regular Balinese. The belief around the devotes is even a single dip into this holy water can bring good fortune and health to them. But in order to do so the devote needs to make an offering at the temple before reaching the main pool to bathe and meditate. The villas nearby can be booked through different Bali packages.

4. Goa Gajah: Gajah means elephant and hence the place is also called as the €Elephant Cave€. The number of elephants found in the place does not drive this name. Infact you will not find any elephants at all. The name is derived by its immediacy to the Elephant River, which by the way also lacks in elephants. The spellbinding feature of this place is its entrance to the cave, where the bordering rocks has been carved into a face, mouth agape. The other attraction is the statue of Lord Ganesha reciting inside the cave.

5. Pura Ulun Danu Bratan: Bali tourism surely reeducates your mind with the variety of temples and stories behind each one of them. Pura Ulun Danu Bratan is the second most sacred place after Pura Besakih. This temple is the leading temple on the island and is called the water temple as it is dedicated to the worship of Goddess of lakes and rivers, Dewi Batari Ulun Danu. The captivating feature of this temple is that a part of it recites on the mainland while the other part floats on the lake.

6. Pura Goa Lawah: Located in East Bali this temple is bordered by a cave, which is inhabited by thousand of bats. This temple, with its black-sand beach nearby, is worshipped by people especially after cremation of their loved ones for purification.