Prison head Siswanto said the small vihara, called Cetiya Dhama Metta, was built using funds donated by the Balinese Buddhist community.

"There are 13 inmates who hold Buddhist beliefs. We thank you for the help of the Buddhist community here," Siswanto said. The prison is currently home to 759 prisoners.

"We hope the vihara will become a place for Buddhist inmates here to pray and seek peace," said Ida Bagus Rahula, the chairwoman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Organization for Buddhist Followers (Walubi).