Balinese temple roof shows multi-tiered thatch construction

A Balinese temple roof shows their characteristic multi-tiered thatch construction. Coconut palm trees frame the background to the temple roofs.Most Balinese families belong to several different temples, which are associated with villages, sub-village neighborhoods, kin groups, and shared irrigation groups. Balinese temples look quite different, and are used for different puposes, than Hindu temples in India. Rather than being dedicated to particular Hindu gods and centering on their shrine statues, Balinese temples are a set of spacious walled courtyards with small, often statue-less shrines. Balinese temples resemble prehistoric Polynesian temples to the extent that they are used mainly for ceremonies and festivals rather than for routine worship or religious services.