If you are traveling in Bali, take your time to come by Buddhist temple called Brahmavihara-Arama located in Buleleng District. This temple is very quiet and presents the beauty of Lovina Beach. On each step, there is an inscription about the values of life, and you can see a miniature of the Borobudur Temple. The Brahmavihara-Arama is the single largest place of worship for Buddhists in Bali.

Brahmavihara-Arama, as the single largest place of worship for Buddhists in Bali, is located on a plateau coming with conducive environment and peaceful atmosphere, and the natural beauty around it can be seen more perfectly from this location. It is situated at Tegeha hamlet, Banjar Village, Banjar subdistrict or about 22 km to the west of Singaraja town and about 2.5–3 hours’ drive from Denpasar City, via the Bedugul route. The location is indeed strategic, 2 km south of the Singaraja–Seririt highway, and easy to reach.

An officer at the Buleleng Tourism Information Service, Ida Bagus Rai Suastika, stated that Brahmavihara-Arama is managed by the Giri Rakhito Mahattera Foundation chaired by Ida Bagus Rahoela. Establishment of the Brahmavihara-Arama on the initiative of a Brahmin descendant monk, namely Bante Girri Rakhito Mahatera, was originally located to the west of the hot springs at Banjar village, with a limited area and only had 25 followers. Now, it spreads across an area of 4 hectares, a spectacular masterpiece for Buddhist worship in Bali, as well as being one of the tourist attractions in North Bali that you should visit.

The design of the building is adapted to Balinese architecture, the courtyard of the monastery is divided into three parts, namely the outermost side (nista), the middle (madya) and the main part, where each courtyard is connected by steps inscribed with noble Buddhist principles. “The meaning of the name contained in this holy place is as follows: Brahma means Great, noble and sublime, Vihara means way of life and Arama means place. So that as a whole it means a place to forge behavior and train oneself to be able to live a noble and commendable life,” he said.

This Brahmavihara-Arama is usually often visited by Buddhists to pray especially on holy days, such as the full moon, new moon, Vesak, and Asada ceremonies. Buddhists who live around the temple often pray at here. “Most of them live at the Pegentengan administrative hamlet,” he said Brahmavihara-Arama is also a tourist attraction that guests really like. Many foreign tourists and domestic tourists make a visit to this Buddhist Temple. They come from Europe, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Russia and other countries. Entrance ticket for foreign tourists is IDR 20,000 while for domestic is IDR 10,000. (BTN/015)