Pura Taman Ayun, located 18 km West of Denpasar in the village of Mengwi. It take about 30 - 40 minutes drive from Bali major tourist area such as Kuta or Sanur is a beautiful temple surrounded by a moat that was built at the start of the Mengwi Kingdom. The kingdom of Mengwi was founded in 1627 and the first king or Raja of Mengwi I Gusti Agung Ngurah Made Agung, -who later become known as Ida Cokorda Sakti Belambangan, had the temple built in 1631. Pura Taman Ayun was thus the royal family's temple and it is here that they would worship their ancestors at a special shrine known as "Gedong Paibon".

Following the layout of most Balinese temples, Pura Taman Ayun has three connecting temple yards. The innermost sanctum or 'highest circle' (Utama Mandala ), a middle yard or 'circle in between" (Madia Mandala)" and an outer yard or 'humblest circle' (Nista Mandala). As one enters the main sanctum, one passes though a raised gateway known as a kori agung and in between the outer and middle courtyards there is a split gate known as a 'candi bentar'.

In the middle courtyard there are shrines dedicated to the main temples of Bali. These shrines were built in order to ensure that the kingdom and the people of Mengwi would be able to share in the prosperity and fertility of the island and also served as a place for the people of Mengwi to carry out religious ceremonies such as meajar-ajar, memendak sang Pitara. People would also come here to request holy water to protect their rice fields from pestilence and other calamities. The inner courtyard houses a shrine dedicated to one of the King's famous troops known as "Pasek Badak'.

The extensive temple grounds of Taman Ayun also served as a place for the royal family to relax. The temple grounds cover some 4 hectares and the moat that surrounds the area used to be filled with different colored lilies and other flowers. Around the edge of the moat are flower-bearing trees such as: frangipani, cempaka, kenanga, as well as mangosteen, durian, mango, rambutan and other fruit trees.

The temple has always been impacted by the ups and downs of the Mengwi Kingdom. In 1890 for example, when under Mengwi's 10th raja I Gusti Made Agung, a war was lost to the raja of Badung, the temple was completely neglected and the buildings deteriorated from lack of care.

ln 1911, part of the Royal Family returned to their family's seat at Mengwi, and Pura Taman Ayun was restored. However on the 20th, of January 1917 a violent earth-quake damaged many of the buildings. Repairs were done in stages, to return the temple to its original condition.

Pura Taman Ayun's odalan or temple anniversary (odalan) is celebrated every 2l0 days (Balinese year) on a day known as "Selasa Kliwon Wuku Mendangsia". Descendants of the royal family, local traditional leaders and village officials from the district of Mengwi all help to maintain this temple that has been visited by tourists since before World War II.

Taman Ayun Temple is located in the middle of Bali Island, precisely in Mengwi Village, Mengwi District, Badung Regency, Bali Province. Because it is located in the central part of Bali Island, there are many roads that can be traversed to visit this unique temple, which is a multi-storey roofed building called the meru.

Taman Ayun is located west of Ubud and takes approximately 30 minutes by car through roads that have views of traditional villages and rice fields. If you are on vacation in Bali and staying in the tourist area of Nusa Dua, to go to the Taman Ayun Temple you have to pass through Kuta, Seminyak, Kerobokan approximately 1 hour.

Many tourists visiting Taman Ayun Temple continue with visits to several other interesting places. Some travel agents or rent car company in Bali make tour packages that are combined with visiting several interesting places and activities. Bedugul Bali Tour, for example, the itinerary after visiting Taman Ayun Temple is continued by visiting Bedugul with Lake Beratan then visiting the Alas Kedaton monkey forest and enjoying the sunset view at Tanah Lot Temple.

If you like adventure and challenges, the Ayung Rafting Tanah Lot Tour package is worth a try. In this tour package, after enjoying the thrill of rafting on the Ayung River, you will visit Taman Ayun Temple and Tanah Lot.

For some tourists who want to enjoy their tour in a relaxed manner and don't worry about losing their way, rent a car with a driver in Bali is the best option. By renting a car with a driver, you can determine the itinerary according to your taste. The driver will happily accompany you to provide information and suggestions on interesting places that should be visited while in Bali. Rent car self drive in Bali is another option to think about if you are adventurous and decide your travel plans accordingly. The cost of holidays in Bali will be cheaper and more efficient. We provide several types of cars that are mostly rented by visitors on vacation to Bali. You can use the Google Map application to guide travel routes