Pura Taman Ayun,a Beautiful View Around The Mengwi Kingdom Temple

Taman means garden. Ayun comes from the word ayu that means beautiful. So we can say that Pura Taman Ayun means temple with beautiful garden. And i think that was true and real till now.

Pura Taman Ayun area

this table is from babadbali.com

Number	Name of Building	Worship for
1	Padmasana	Hyang Siwa Raditya
2	Meru Tumpang 11	Hyang Gunung Batukaru
3	Tugu	Palinggih Batara Dugul (God of Agroculture)
4	Gedong	Batara Pucak Padangdawa
5	Gedong	Dewan Gusti
6	Meru Tumpang 11	Dewi Sri/Batari Ulunsui
7	Candi Kuning	Dewi Ciligading
8	Meru tumpang 11
9	Bale Saka 9
10	Candi	Hyang Pura Sada
11	Gedong Paibon	the ancestors of Mengwi Kingdom
12	Bale Panggungan
13	Bale Pepelik	to place offerings
14	Meru Tumpang 9	Hyang Gunung Batur
15	Meru tumpang 11	Hyang Gunung Agung
16	Meru Tumpang 9	Hyang Pengelengan Pucak Mangu
17	Gedong	Batara Sakti Wawu Rauh
18	Bale Pawedan	Place for priest presiding over the ceremony
19	Bale Saka 8	Worship for
20	Bale Saka 9	for held Gong orchestra
21	Meru Tumpang 7	Ida Betara Kawitan
22	Meru Tumpang 5	Ida Betara Batu Ngaus
23	Meru Tumpang 3	Sang Hyang Pasurungan
24	Meru Tumpang 2	Ratu Pasek Badak
25	Bale Piyasan	Decorate  pratima / arca
26	Bale Murda	Place for the elders
27	Gedong Pesimpenan	a place to store the attributes of the temple
28	Kori Agung	the Great Gate
29	Segaran	pool surrounding the temple,simbol of the ocean

This temple is situated in the village of Mengwi, still in my district of Mengwi, Badung regency, which is approximately 18 km northwest of the city of Denpasar,Bali. This temple is one of pretending to be the most beautiful temple in Bali. The areas arranged in such a beautiful temple and surrounded by fish ponds. Built in 1634 by TheKing Mengwi of Mengwi at that time I Gusti Agung Putu, then restored in 1937. Decorated by Meru - Meru tower and majestic cater for both the ancestral kingdom and for the gods who praised in other Great Temple in Bali.
Because the distances of great Temples in Bali is far away from the kingdom, the kingdom built this temple to unify some of them in one place. So the people can pray to any Great Temple such as Pura Besakih just from here.
Beside that,Pura Taman Ayun Temple is also Paibon(temple to pray to the ancestors) for Mengwi kingdom. Every 210 days every Tuesday Kliwon Medangsia precisely,the whole Mengwi community,incuding the people in my palce, celebrates  piodalan for several days worshiping the Lord with all its manifestations at Pura Taman Ayun.

a pool surrounding the temple,the view from the road

bale pengubengan

Candi Gelung,the gate to the main area

Jerowan,the main area of Taman Ayun

Temple complex is divided into 4 different yards, which one is higher than the others. The front yard called Jaba can be achieved only with the only bridge over the pool and the gate. Once inside there is a small monument to guard the entrance and on the right is the spacious building (Wantilan) which are often held cockfight when there is ceremonial . On this yard, there is also a memorial fountain that lead to 9 points of the compass. As we headed to the next step, on the right road there is a small temple complex of Pura named Luhuring Purnama.
To reach the next area, visitors must pass through the second gate. Once inside, the view will be fixed on the facade of a building Bale Pengubengan that  is decorated with reliefs depict Gods Nawa Sanga, (9 Gods guard cardinal directions). To the east of this page there is a small temple called Pura Dalem Bekak, where as in the west corner there is a tower of Kulkul ,a wooden bell.
Area into main area is the highest and most sacred. The central door of  Candi Gelung, a Bight gate, will be opened at a time when there is a ceremony, while the gate on the left  and right is is open everyday for activities in main area of the temple.
There are some of Meru, towering building with various sizes and shapes in the main area.

The different levels of this temple symbolizes the three levels of world cosmology, of which the bottom is the place for the human world, to a more sacred place of the the ancestors, and the latter represents a place of Almighty God . As told in ancient story Adhiparwa, the entire temple complex of  illustrates Mount Mahameru that float in a sea of ​​milk.