Meru Temple is the biggest temple on the island of Lombok. This temple is known for its history as well as beautiful architecture, and is located in the area of Cakranegara district, in the central area of Mataram, which is also the capital of West Nusa Tenggara.

Lombok is indeed known as the island of thousands mosques, given the fact that most of the Sasak people living in Lombok are Muslim, and every village and community does have their own mosque, which adds up to thousands and thousands of them. However, the streets of Cakranegara does show quite some display of the Javanese-Hinduism heritage from the islands Pre-Islamic era, which includes this temple which happens to be the most iconic one on the island.

Pura Meru was built by a Balinese King, Anak Agung Made Karangasem in 1720. The initial reason behind the construction of the temple was actually to unite a number of small royal palaces in Lombok. This temple was later on used as a meeting point for negotiations and trials of crime during that era.

Like most of the Hindu temples, this temple too, is divided into three main yards; Nista Mandala, Madya Mandala and Utama Mandala. Aside from the three, there are two other yards which were added to provide more room for the religious activities in the temple area. The yards are each divided by a brick wall with each a beautiful engraved Balinese style wooden door between them.

The most sacred part of the temple is the Utama Mandala, where the sacred ceremonies and rituals are held. The Utama Mandala houses 33 white sanggah or shrines. Each of them represents the 33 villages whose communities helped the king in the process of building this temple.

Another fascinating feature of this temple is the meru(s). Meru, which is also the name of this temple, does translate into the tip of the temple’s roof too. There are three merus that can be spotted from this temple as they rise high into the sky. These merus tell stories from the past and they all stand as symbolization of the main Gods in Hinduism. They represent Brahma, Wisnu and Siwa.

Both the Utama Mandala and Madya Mandala are ‘furnished’ with cozy gazebos, which even includes two story gazebos, where people can prepare offerings during the big ceremonies, or simply chill when visiting this temple as tourists. The Nista Mandala is on the other hand an empty yard, used for the sacred dances performances during ceremonies.

Right across this temple you can find the Mayura Park. And a short walking distance will lead you to the Cakranegara Market which offers all kinds of souvenirs and knick-knacks for an awesome deal that won’t burn a hole in your pocket, at all!