Pura Durga Kutri, Blahbatuh: Stairs, Sarong and Donation

Pura Bukit Dharma Durga Kutri in Buruan village, Blahbatuh, has no ticket booth. Visitors leave a voluntary donation and must wear a sarong (kamen) and temple sash. The temple sits beside Jalan Raya Buruan, roughly 25-35 minutes by car from central Ubud or Sanur. The reason to come is at the top of a small hill inside the temple grounds: an eight-armed statue of Durga Mahisasuramardini that historians date to somewhere between the 10th and 13th centuries.

What people tend to miss before visiting

• Bring your own sarong. Visitor reviews say sarongs can be borrowed or rented at the entrance, but there are not many when a tour group arrives. Your own sarong and sash save time.
• Carry small cash. There is no official fee. The donation amount is up to you, and the box is usually near the entrance.
• Expect a lot of steps. The main statue is on the hilltop inside the inner courtyard, reached by stone stairs. Google reviews often call the climb tiring. The temple does not suit wheelchair users, older visitors with bad knees, or parents carrying toddlers.
• Wear shoes with grip. The stairs and courtyard get slippery with moss in the rainy season, roughly November to March.
• This is a working temple. It is a Kahyangan Jagat temple, so worshippers come first. Women who are menstruating do not enter, as at temples across Bali. Do not climb shrines or stand higher than the statue for a photo.
• Few tourist facilities. There is no café or row of souvenir stalls like at the big temples. Bring your own water.

What you see inside

The grounds rise in three levels: the outer courtyard (nista mandala), the middle courtyard (madya mandala) and the inner courtyard (utama mandala). In the middle of the inner courtyard is a small wooded hill, and on its summit stands Durga treading on a buffalo (mahisa). Locals and researchers link the statue to Gunapriya Dharmapatni, also known as Mahendradatta, queen of King Udayana. Bali Express reports that the temple is thought to date back to 835 Saka. Other ancient statues, including a Ganesha, are kept in the surrounding shrines.

The view from the top is of trees and village roofs, nothing like a cliff temple. Come for the statue and the history rather than the scenery.

When to go and what to combine it with

Mornings around 08.00-10.00 are the most comfortable, before the heat, and the courtyards are usually quiet. If you only want to look around, avoid temple anniversary days (piodalan) and holy days such as the full moon, when the grounds fill with worshippers. The temple pairs easily with Pura Gaduh in Blahbatuh, home of the giant Kebo Iwa head statue, just a few minutes' drive away. Before you go, read our notes on temple etiquette in Bali.

From Kuta or Canggu the drive can take over an hour in morning traffic. A night in Ubud cuts that to about half an hour, and you can compare Ubud hotel vouchers on AccessiaPass.

Location, hours and cost

• Location: Banjar Kutri, Buruan village, Blahbatuh, Gianyar. View on Google Maps
• Hours: no official opening hours are published. Visit in daylight, roughly 08.00-17.00 (checked October 2026).
• Cost: voluntary donation; sarongs can be borrowed or rented at the entrance; parking in front of the temple.
• Booking: not needed, just turn up.
• Instagram: search on Instagram for recent photos and ceremony news.

One last note: if a ceremony is under way, wait in the middle courtyard and ask the temple priest (pemangku) before climbing the hill.