Pura Meduwe Karang

Pura Meduwe Karang stands beside the coast road in Kubutambahan, about 12 km east of Singaraja, at the junction where the road to Kintamani climbs south into the mountains. It is one of the most important temples in North Bali and, for many visitors, the most rewarding.

The name means roughly “owner of the land”, and the temple honours the deity who guards the dry fields of the north: coconut groves, maize and other crops grown without irrigated paddies. Farmers come here to pray for those harvests, just as rice growers turn to the subak temples dedicated to Dewi Sri.

The layout follows the classic Balinese plan of three courtyards, each rising behind the last: the outer jaba pura, the middle jaba tengah and the inner sanctum, the jeroan. What sets it apart is the exuberance of its stonework, carved in the flamboyant North Balinese style.

Two broad stairways lead up from the road to the outer courtyard, where 34 sandstone figures from the Ramayana stand on three tiered platforms like an audience facing the street. Demons, monkey warriors and heroes are frozen mid-battle.

The middle courtyard is nearly empty apart from a large pavilion, which is a good place to tie on a sarong if you have not already. The inner courtyard holds the main shrines, and their bases are covered in reliefs of everyday life and religious scenes.

Walk around the main shrine to find the temple’s most photographed panel: a man in Western clothes pedalling a bicycle whose wheels are made of flowers, with a small figure behind him. It is usually said to show the Dutch artist W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, who toured Bali by bicycle in 1904, a sight the island had never seen before.

The temple is on the main coast road in Kubutambahan, about 12 km east of Singaraja and a short drive from Lovina. Most visitors come by hired car or scooter on a loop that also takes in Pura Beji at Sangsit and Pura Dalem Jagaraga, or stop on the way between the north coast and Kintamani.

• Wear a sarong and sash; they can usually be borrowed at the entrance in exchange for a donation.
• Come in the morning, when the light falls on the statues facing the road.
• Avoid major festival days if you want to wander freely, or come on one if you would like to see the temple in use and can keep a respectful distance.