Further west in the little town of Mengwi, lies Taman Ayun temple built around 1740, the grandest temple of the island. Until the end of the 19th C, Mengwi was one of the main island kingdoms. Pura Taman Ayun is a water garden temple, symbolizing the cosmic union of segara gunung (sea and mountain ). You can even row in the moat in a rented boat. The architectural structure has three parts, representing the order of the cosmos: nista (impure/ demonic); madia (middle/human); and utama (godly) corresponding to the three successive courts. Most sacred (utama) is the inner court. The shrines are made and decorated in the finest traditions of Balinese carving.