This sacred mountain is to the Balinese what Olympus was to the ancient Greeks-the Cosmic Mountain. The Balinese, who consider this volcano 'the Navel of the World', always sleep with their heads toward Agung. The mystical Balinese believe the mountain was raised by the gods as advantage point to view the unceasing pageant of life below.

To them, it is a central, heavenly point of reference, the geographical and religious center of the world. With an elevation of 3,014 meters, the foot of the mountain stretches northeast right to the sea. To the southeast its slope is blocked by a line of small extinct volcanoes. To the northwest Agung is separated from Gunung Batur by a narrow valley.

The gods rest above the mountain summit, and when they come down to visit the island they reside in Bali's holiest temple complex, Besakih, six km below the crater. When the gods are displeased, Agung showers the land with stone and ruin. Its feathery heights are the source of life-giving rivers and volcanic ash, which irrigate and enrich the island's rice fields. The lower portions of the mountain are heavily forested, and farmed up to about 1,000 meters.