Finding Tranquility in the City by Visiting Meru Temple

In the past, Cakranegara was known as the capital city of Lombok under the occupations of Karang Asem Balinese Kingdom.  Therefore there are some Balinese historical sites remain in this city. One of them is Meru Temple. Meru Temple stands on the south of Jln. Selaparang—the main road in Cakranegara. Before becoming a temple and a tourism spot, it used to be utilized as a discussion center. 

Meru was built by the King of Karang Asem in 18 Century. As other temple, Meru consists of three part those are Madya, Mandala and Utama. Each part has its own function. Madya is the outer part. Usually it is used for placing a huge amount of offerings in a special event. The middle part or Mandala is mostly used for performing some sacred dances. Meanwhile the main part or Utama is used for praying. Utama host the trinity Hinduism Gods—Visnu,Siva and Brahma. In this temple three high merus symbolize trinity. The high of each meru is different. The highest one symbolize the creator—Visnu—which stands between the other 2 merus. These two merus are dedicated for Siva and Brahma. Among the three merus, 33 white painted shrines are in a row. These shrines were built to represent 33 villages that participate in building this temple.

Since its location at Cakranegara—the main trade city in Lombok—you can drop in for shopping in the biggest traditional Market that is only 25 meters away from this temple. It is very easy to reach Meru Temple. It is located at Jln. Selaparang, Cakranegara. You can take Bemo—Lombok public transportation or drive your rented motorbike.  It takes only 10 minutes from Mataram and or 30 minutes from Senggigi.