Back to Bali: Pura Geger Temple at Nusa Dua

This cliff top temple, Pura Geger, at Nusa Dua is a short walk from the Balé hotel, where we were staying. The beach on which I am standing is in front of another hotel, one of the largest in Bali yet, when I walked up to the temple, mid-morning, the only person I saw was the temple caretaker, who was happy to be photographed.

The temple is built from an austere grey stone. the bright sunlight emphasises the relief of the carvings in various shades of grey.

Two guardian statues invite the visitor to the inner areas…

…where, as with many Balinese temples, bright silk umbrellas offset the dark stone, in contrast to the bright sky,

and the mere roofs, which are thatched with alang-alang or tiled with wooden shingles.

Gilt decoration above the doorways adds to the effect.

The temple location contrasts with the adjacent hotel, which in turn is neighboured by a poor community, emphasising the contrasts and inequality of Balinese life.

I wonder for how much longer they will be allowed to graze their cattle in the scrub between the hotel and the temple.

On my way up to the temple, staff from the hotel were refreshing the faded and weatherbeaten decoration on a shrine. Clearly a labour of love and respect.

When I returned later, it was completely refurbished. They must have been proud of their morning’s work.