Temples

Bali is often called ’Island of the Thousand Temples’. The meaning of 'thousand' in this phrase is 'too many to count', otherwise it would be a colossal understatement. There are shrines on every piece of land, in every house, in every village, town and city, in the lakes, on the mountains, in the jungles, by the waterfalls, on the islands, beaches and by the rivers.

Some are barely more than four sticks poked into the ground, with a weaved bamboo mat on top to keep the offering dry. Others are sprawling building complexes that require the efforts of kingdoms to erect. Each temple has its own unique position in the cosmic hierarchy that springs from the Mother Temple in Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung, Bali’s most holy mountain.

Jamahal has several temples. There is one in every villa and several other large and small places of worship dotted around the grounds. They are used every day, devotedly.