Today’s Bali Photo of the Day SHARES
with us a stunning sunset from Pura Tanah Lot Temple in Bali.
Bali Yoga and Wellness Retreats at Floating Leaf Eco Retreat
After our Yoga and Wellness Retreat participants completed a session of “Yoga on the Beach” at this sacred site, we were treated to this majestic scene.
Tanah Lot is located in Bali’s Tabanan Regency on the island’s West Coast. It is one of the ‘Big three sacred temples of Bali’along with The Mother Temple, Pura Besakih and Pura Uluwatu. This important pilgrimage site, actually an island unto itself, is built upon a rock and reef outcropping in the Indian Ocean. It is possible to walk or wade to the temple at low tide and a very low tide will reveal it’s secret caves.
The Sacred Temples of Bali
Pura Tanah Lot is one of the significant seven sea temples of Bali and certainly one of the most picturesque. These seven temples were built around the island for protection from invaders. Each temple is built within eyeshot from the last, forming a visual chain around the South Western coast of Bali.
Sunset over Sacred Tanah Lot Temple
The Legend of Tanah Lot Temple
A revered 15th century Hindu priest named Nirartha is said to have built the sacred temple. He stopped to rest on the rock and discovered it to be not only majestic in its beauty, but a sanctified and powerful spot. The locals saw him there and began to bring him gifts. He told them to construct a temple here, as it was a fitting place to worship the Balinese Sea Gods.
It is said that when Niratha moved on from the rock island, he left his scarf behind. The scarf turned into an enormous sea serpent and has protected the location ever since. To this day, holy men guard the entrances to the many caves that surround the temple. Some can even show you the ‘magical’ snakes inside the caves. Many will ask for a donation to enter the caves, but the payoff inside is usually not all that exciting.
Getting to Tanah Lot Temple
From the main tourist areas of South Bali such as Kuta, Seminyak and Legian, its about a 40 minute car ride and from Bali’s cultural center of Ubud, its perhaps a 50 minute ride depending of course on the traffic.
Tanah Lot is a must do on any Bali traveler’s itinerary. Try to go at low tide so a local Hindu Priest or Pendanda can bless you with the springs of holy water that emanate from beneath the temple itself. It’s spectacular at sunset and it is also a fairly consistent surf break.
For information on surfing Tanah Lot, just click The Bali Surf Guide ~ Tanah Lot
For more information about Tanah Lot Temple: the myths, history and photography, check our blog post Sacred Tanah Lot Temple.
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