Directions: Jl Yeh Pulu, Pengastulan, Bedulu.

Boma above a gate at Pura Pengastulan in Bedulu.

Lempad built this temple in 1962-63, soon after he had completed the Saraswati temple in Ubud. If the Saraswati temple was lavish this one is flamboyant.

While he must have been working with a much smaller budget Lempad was able to express himself with great abandon in his home town. Look at the fingernails on the Boma (guardian spirit) masks above the gates. They look more as though they were rapidly drawn with a pen than carved in stone. You might like to contrast these with his earlier drawings in the Neka and Puri Lukisan museums which are almost as though they were made with a chisel.

Partially-carved Boma by Lempad at Pura Pengastulan in Bedulu

In true Lempad fashion he left these faces in various stages of completion from fully-formed to totally abstract with stages of sketchiness in between. Once again, Lempad may have intended these to be a lesson for future carvers. You can see the same occurring with the naga (guardian serpent) figures adorning the pavilion banisters. Very few have fully resolved tails.

So from fully-resolved and flamboyant carvings near the street they gradually melt into abstract forms

Boma carving in its early stages by Lempad. Pura Pengastulan temple, Bedulu.

Pura Pengastulan is just around the corner from the house where Lempad grew up and family members continue to live there.

Cultural tips:

This is a place of worship and not a museum. Please be mindful of temple dress codes and respect other temple customs.