The Meaning of Three and Eleven-tiered ”Meru” Shrines at Besakih Temple

On the sixth stair of Besakih Temple, God is symbolized to create purusa (spiritual elements) and predana (material element). Veneration to God as the creator of purusa and predana elements is represented in twin pelinggih (holy shrine) at Besakih Temple that are known as Bukit Kiwa and Bukit Tengen.

Then, stepping down from the sixth mandala (stair) to the fifth there will be two main shrines in the form of three and eleven-tiered Meru shrines. On three-tiered Meru, God is venerated as Ratu Ayu Mas Magelung, while on the eleven-tiered Meru shrine is venerated Sang Hyang Wisesa (the God that is All-holy and Omnipotent) in which Hyang (Old Javanese) means holy and wisesa (Sanskrit) means omnipotent.
Veneration to Sang Hyang Wisesa is the continuation of veneration to God as the Creator of spiritual and material seedlings. From the encounter of the two seedlings is created the omnipotence of God that controls the entire universe. It is then depicted in eleven-tiered Meru.
In the Padma Bhuvana lontar manuscript is portrayed ‘tumpang Meru pinaka patalaning Bhuwana muang pinaka uriping bhuwana (tier of the Meru shrine is representation of plane and soul of the universe). Eleven-tiered Meru on the fifth stair of Penataran Agung Besakih is a symbol that God exists and omnipotent on every plane of the universe. All planes of the universe are symbolized with eleven tiers of the Meru. Eight directions that border the universe namely west, east, north, south, northeast, southeast, southwest and northwest. It is also described in three vertical planes: underworld (bhur loka), middle world (bhuwah loka) and upper world (swah loka).
So, the eleven-tiered Meru is symbol of plane of the universe in the eight directions and three vertical planes under, middle and upper world. On the eleven planes of the world, there is also God as the spirit of the universe. Therefore, this universe revolves in accordance with the natural law that created by God in which in the Vedic scripture is called with the terminology Rta.
One of the manifestations of Rta is called uriping bhuwana (being the spirit of universe). Due to the existence of uriping bhuwana results in the universe revolves pursuant to the natural law itself. On the eleven-tiered Meru is also stated that God commences to create his omnipotence. Therefore, God is named Sang Hyang Wisesa. On the three-tiered Meru, God creates material power that still limits the coming down of God’s omnipotent to arrange in order to be appropriate with the capacity of nature along with its content to accept such omnipotence of God. Thus, the three-tiered Meru is also called Ratu Ayu Mas Magelung.
The word magelung (Balinese) means wearing a head ornament. It means, the omnipotence of God is restricted by a frontier along with its allurement. God’s omnipotence still has not come down yet directly to the nature that becoming life guidance on the universe. God is just symbolized to directly go down and become the norms that lead the human community on the fourth stair. On that account, on the fourth stair God is named Ratu Sunaring Jagat. The omnipotence of God is no more restricted and fastened with ornaments because it is borderless, while the nature that is created by God is full of a variety of restrictions. Therefore, God in sending down his omnipotence is limited pursuant to the limitation available on this universe.
This matter may be comparable to the administration system in a state. The constitution is just a general norm that comprises idealistic values that can be formulated into general regulation. Constitution has not been able to control straightforwardly the life details of a state’s sovereignty, even directly administer the community’s life. Constitution should be formulated into the more concrete policies that can be implemented in the reality. To make the various implementation of such policies not too ordinary, it also arranged an organic law as the implementation of the constitution. For this reason, the idealism that has been formulated in general will become more concrete in keeping with the passage of time. Therefore, such organic law can be changed at any time, while constitution cannot be revised as quickly as its organic law. Just as the omnipotence of God is represented with the term Magelung in the three-tiered Meru on the fifth stair of Penataran Agung at Besakih Temple. (BTN/Wiana)