Across Bali, Bedogol refers to the guardian statues that flank the entrances of temples and family compounds, the silent watchers carved in stone. Positioned in pairs on either side of a gateway, they serve as spiritual protectors, anchoring the threshold between the ordinary world and sacred ground.

Garuda, the colossal bird being of Hindu myth, soars through Balinese religious imagination not as a gentle guardian but as a relentless force cutting across the realms of gods, demons and mortals. His wings are said to darken the sky when spread, the violent wind from their beat capable of stripping the leaves from the forests.

In the architectural language of Balinese temples, Bhoma statues are not merely decorative but play a protective and symbolic role. Bhoma is derived from the ancient Sanskrit word bhūma, meaning “Earth” and is considered a guardian spirit linked to fertility, the forest and subterranean realms. Usually mounted above temple gates or embedded within sacred water features, these fierce, leaf entwined figures serve as guardians of spiritual boundaries,

In the moss veiled temples of Bali, Ganesha is far more than a familiar Hindu icon, he is a living force who moves between light and shadow. Though his roots lie in Indian Hinduism, Bali’s Ganesha (also known as Batara Gana) has taken on new dimensions, shaped by animist spirits, local rituals and the Balinese understanding of cosmic balance.

Born from the legend of Resi Markandeya’s vision of angelic dancers over the Ayung River, Taman Dedari blends myth and appetite in equal measure. Here, guests savour Balinese flavours in a riverside setting guarded by monumental stone Dedari, the celestial maidens of old.

High on the mist-drenched slopes of Mount Batur, the sacred crater lake known as Danau Batur is believed to be the earthly dwelling of Dewi Danu, the goddess of water, rivers and lakes. Her presence is not abstract, it is palpable in the cool vapour rising from the caldera and the ritual waters that flow from her springs to irrigate Bali’s ancient subak system.

In the mystical landscape of Bali, where volcanoes brood above emerald rice terraces and the sea whispers ancient secrets, serpentine beings known as Nāgas hold a revered place in the island’s cosmology. These mythical serpent deities, often depicted as long, dragon-like creatures adorned with golden crowns and shimmering scales of green and gold, are considered powerful protectors of water, fertility and the spiritual balance between the underworld, earth, and the heavens.