Besakih is a complex of 23 related temples on parallel ridges, nearly 3,300 feet (1,000 m) up the slope of Mount Agung, with Pura Penataran Agung the largest. The builders and origins are unclear. The infobox gives an estimated completion in the 15th century, while the body says Hindu worship began after Javanese conquerors settled in Bali in 1284.
Stepped terraces and stairs climb through six levels on a single axis toward the mountain. A split gateway marks the entrance, and a Kori Agung gateway leads to the second courtyard. Stone bases resemble megalithic stepped pyramids that the text dates to at least 2,000 years ago, and the lotus throne of the main sanctuary to about the 17th century.
Lava from the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung stopped meters from the complex. Official entrance fees are 60,000 rupiah for foreign visitors and 40,000 for domestic visitors. The article calls added local levies illegal.
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