Pura as a Fortress in Balinese Religious Traditional Architecture Building

Abstract

Several researchers believe that Pura- a Hindu temple- in Bali is not just merely a place of worship. In Sanskrit that word means a fortress, while several early investigations show that the pura is sharing several same characteristics with the fortress by design. High fences, small entrance, limited access and also the existence of observation tower was among the characteristics. The aim of this study is to proof that the pura architecture was not something brought from Majapahit, but on the contrary is an architecture built in the land of Bali by the Majapahit priest Danghyang Nirartha, after the fall of Majapahit to be a fortress, to avoid any acts and values came from outside to infiltrate the Hindu culture in Bali. The Architectural survey method was chosen to bring about any knowledge regarding this issue, while as samples 3 pura around Denpasar was chosen to represent the pura of southern part of Bali where the architecture was developed in the past. The result of this paper is a description of how the now place of worship can be developed from some thought as a result of political event in the past and as the conclusion, through the years it became a common pattern within the people of Bali.