Pura Ulun Danu Batur is one of the temples making up the pura kahyangan jagat, acting as the North cardinal direction point. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu (the preserver) and the Balinese lake goddess Dewi Danu. Inside the rather expansive nine temple complex is several meru, almost 300 shrines and impressive candi.

Situated at over 1,400m by nearby Danu Batur (Lake Batur), the area is one of the key sources of water across Bali as per the subak practice. The temple allows locals to pay homage to the water source. The proximity to the Mount Batur volcano means that there have been periods of destruction and reconstruction in the temple’s history from the 17th century. Most recently, the temple complex was rebuilt in 1926. The 11-tier meru survived this volcanic eruption and was relocated to the current temple site as a good omen.