Pura Agung Kentel Gumi: The History and ‘Palinggih’ within It as A Place to Pray for Peace
Bali, which is widely known as ‘Pulau Seribu Pura’, is such a beautiful place. With the existence of many temples in Bali, it become a unique attraction for many tourists from all over the world. Every temple in Bali has a different history and function. Consequently, Hindus in Bali cannot just carelessly pray at all temples in Bali. However, there are also several temples that are categorized as universal which means that every Hindu can come and pray at this temple. One of them is Pura Agung Kentel Gumi.
Pura Agung Kentel Gumi is located in Tusan Village, Banjarangkan, Klungkung Regency approximately 43 km from Denpasar. This temple is part of Kahyangan Tiga. Based on the lontar “Raja Purana Batur”, Pura Agung Kentel Gumi is one of Tri Guna Pura or Pura Kahyangan Tiga, specifically as ‘Pura Puseh’, a place to pray for peace. Meanwhile, Pura Batur as the ‘Pura Desa’, a place to pray for fertility, and Pura Agung Besakih as the ‘Pura Dalem’, a place to pray for purity of sekala-niskala. So, Pura Agung Kentel Gumi became Pura Kahyangan Tiga which is prayed by all Hindus.
Outer Area Pura Agung Kentel Gumi (Source : Private Collection)
The history of Pura Agung Kentel Gumi is connected with the existence of Mpu Kuturan in Bali around the 11th century. Before that, Bali was led by a very powerful king named Maya Denawa. Because of his Power, the king became arrogant. He disallowed Balinese people to pray to God and also destroyed many temples. As a result, the Balinese people became chaos, and disease arose everywhere. Long story short, the king was defeated. Nevertheless, the chaos and riots between Balinese people are still happening. So, it is said that in the past Mpu Kuturan plugged in a ‘pacek’ or stake, which made a place become a ‘pancer jagat’ or ‘dasar bumi’ that gave peace for Bali, which previously often occurred social insecurity became more conducive to the lives of its people.
From that history, Pura Agung Kentel Gumi became a place which was prayed by all Hindus. There is no specific requirement or prohibition for anyone who wants to come or prays in Pura Agung Kentel Gumi, as long as they do not have any bad intention, and also act and dress appropriately.
Inner Area Pura Agung Kentel Gumi (Source : Private Collection)
Inside Pura Agung Kentel Gumi there are three groups of temples they are, an area for Pura Maspahit, an area for Pura Masceti, and also an area for Pura Kentel Gumi itself. In Pura Agung Kentel Gumi’s area, it consist of 19 palinggih and some bale inside it. The biggest and the tallest one is Palinggih Meru Tumpang Solas which is a place for Sang Hyang Reka Bhuana. Next, there is Meru Tumpang Siya which is a place that have ‘pengayatan’ in Mount Agung, Meru Tumpang Pitu which is a place that have ‘pengayatan’ in Segara, Meru Tumpang Lima which is a place that have ‘pengayatan’ in Ulun Danu, and also Meru Tumpang Tiga which is a place that have ‘pengayatan’ in Lebah Mount. ‘Pengayatan’ is a place to connect one temple to another so that people can pray to another temple just by doing it in this place. In this area, there is also a ‘Padmasana’ and some bale.
Pura Agung Kentel Gumi is a temple that can be classified as Tri Guna Pura or Pura Kahyangan Tiga, where this place can be prayed by all Hindus in Bali. This temple has an interesting history to be known to everyone. Inside the area of Pura Kentel Gumi there are groups of temples namely Pura Maspahit, Pura Masceti, and Pura Agung Kentel Gumi itself. Pura Agung Kentel Gumi’s area has the most palinggih, which one of them is Meru Tumpang Solas as the place for Sang Hyang Reaka Bhuana. With all the beauty and history it contains, Pura Agung Kentel Gumi has become one of the preferred attractions for foreign tourists visiting the island of Bali.
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