This grand old palace sits peacefully in the heart of Ubud, its centuries old walls steeped in Balinese royal history. Built in the 17th century by the Sukawati dynasty, it was once a centre of power, ritual and sacred heirlooms. Towering gates and intricately carved stone guardians greet visitors, hinting at the palace’s rich cultural legacy, ancient ceremonies and the mysterious forces said to linger in its courtyards.

Pura Tambang Badung stands as a surviving fragment of the old Badung royal world, in the middle of a bustling modern city. Built over 360 years ago during the rise of the Pemecutan court, it functions as both a sacred site and a centre of royal authority. Lions hold the perimeter in silent control, while Majapahit Empire brick architecture and armed guardian figures reflect a legacy of military force, now preserved as ritual symbolism.

Hidden and overgrown, Candi Sentono remains a mysterious Hindu sanctuary and hermitage of devotion, fear and sacred reflection. Carved directly into limestone, this 9th century cave temple blends with the earth, its chambers holding ritual basins and shadowed niches once used for meditation. Ascetics sought visions here and the lingering presence of long abandoned rituals leaves the caves suspended between the sacred and the forgotten.

Hidden and alone on the slopes of Mount Sumbing stratovolcano, Selogriyo Temple rises quietly from the forest, a 9th century sanctuary carved for ritual and devotion. Its mountain facing shrine hints at lives shaped by contemplation, while weathered stones and softened carvings whisper of centuries long past. Encircled by hills and ancient valley villages that amplify its isolation, the temple feels suspended in time, a place both forgotten and alive in its stillness.

Honouring the Hindu belief in spiritual liberation and the release from samsara, the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth, Pura Moksa is a quietly significant temple that embodies the Balinese understanding of life, mortality and the journey of the soul. Unlike Ubud’s more prominent historic temples, it was established by the local community as a place for personal devotion and meditation, serving primarily as a contemplative sanctuary rather than a site for public ce