Sacred yet Stunning of Pura Pucak Mangu

I conquered the Pura Pucak Mangu of Mount Catur, Bali

Temple is on the traveler’s bucket list when visiting Bali. However, the Balinese sacred temple is mostly located in unique places, therefore, needs an extra effort to reach it. 

One of them is Pucak Mangu Temple which is located at the top of Mount Catur. Even though it is the 4th highest mountain in Bali, it sounds unfamiliar to the Balinese themselves. However, when you ask about Pucak Mangu Temple, they will be happy to give you directions to get there. 

Why Pucak Mangu Temple sounds more familiar than Mount Catur itself to Balinese? Because Hindus in Bali believe the temple is one of the Kahyangan Jagat Temples from nine temples spread across nine cardinal directions, aimed to foresee any evil attack from any direction, and repel it. 

The Temple has been around since the megalithic era in Bali, based on the big ancient artifact found in the site where the temple nestles. Apart from that, it was also here the King of Mengwi Kingdom, I Gusti Agung Putu meditated during one of his wars. After the meditation, he won it. 

A 2-hour drive from South Bali takes you to Plaga Village, Petang. A highland in Badung Region has fresh air, a heaven for nature lovers. With an altitude of 2,096 m above sea-level, it takes about 2-3 hours to hike with a friendly path even though pass through the depth of jungles, and occasionally you will be greeted with fog. Thus it will make you stop a lot to capture the scenery. 

My first mountain in Bali 

There are four post stops here. The paths at posts 1 and 2 are perfectly friendly. However, the path challenge will be started when entering posts 3 and 4, because the incline is getting worse. The path to post 3 itself will pass through a landslide trail, so make sure you are very careful when passing it, especially when it rains. And a Hindu Temple welcomes you afterward. The Hindu Climbers will pray here to ask permission to enter the main temple at the top of the mountain. But unfortunately, starting from this area the plastic waste left by previous hikers and pilgrims began to pile up. 

Entering post 4, the incline is getting kooky. However, you will be treated by Plaga Village view from a height which of course cannot be missed to be captured. After a challenging trek, you will be paid off with amazing views of Lake Bratan and on the east side will be Mount Batur and Mount Abang right when you are at the top of the mountain. But, unfortunately, we were not lucky due to the expected views overtaken by the fog.  

Overall, the climbing route on Mount Catur is highly recommended for beginner climbers, because it is a friendly trek. It was proven because one of our team there was an 11-year-old boy and he made it to the top. 

The parking lot is free of charge. The public toilet will be charged according to usage. Unfortunately, even the trash bins are provided, but it doesn’t carry out regularly. It can be seen from the pile-up and even overflows. Likewise, at Mangu Peak, the piles of garbage from the former climbers and pilgrims have interfered with the sight and smell. So, please mind with your trash, especially plastic waste. Do not litter, please!