PURA TANAH LOT

A Temple in the Sea

Tanah lot, in the Tabanan regency – also known as the ‘rice bowl of  Bali’ – is literally taken from the Balinese word ‘lot’, meaning sea, and the Indonesian word ‘tanah’ meaning land. Therefore, at this ‘land next to the sea’ we find uncontrived photo opportunities in a part of  Bali relatively unspoiled by the tourist impact of recent years, as well as one of the most photographed icons on the island, pura tanah lot.

Pura means ‘temple’ of which Bali apparently has thousands, but none compare to this majestic land or, should we say, sea mark. It belongs to a group of six temples dotted around the island that locals believe all magically protect Bali. At Pura Tanah Lot this protection is in response to prayers offered to the deities of the sea, and its colorful temple celebrations occur every six months.

A Hindu priest founded this temple in the sixteenth century, and looking at the current land erosion, we can imagine that it was then part of the coastline. Today, Pura Tanah Lot is accessible only at low tide, surrounded by coastal caves and rocks.  At the now famous sunset viewing, the silhouette of the temple and the hues of the skies throw colors onto these nearby rocks to dramatic effect. At high tide, the waves crash severely onto the surrounding rocks, enrobing the Pura in a mist of sea, perhaps the sea Gods talking to her. There had been discussion in recent years of adjoining the temple to the land by means of a footbridge, but thankfully this came to nothing. For what makes this attractions so appealing is its air of mystery, sitting out to sea all alone.

sunset at Tanah Lot Temple

Entrance to the temple is permitted only to the villagers, understandable given the amounts of tourist and the rate of erosion. However, down below, there is a priest who will bless you once you have cleansed in the holy seawater pool, found in the temple’s rock face. When being blessed you are encouraged to hold your hands together in front of your face at chin height . the priest will then splash holy water onto your head. You may then take rice to press onto your forehead (showing you have been blessed ) and place a flower In your hair or behind your ear ( this thus explains why the locals often have rice on their faces). Further excitement is added by the many black and white stripped sea snakes that are found at low tide. Yu are enticed to touch one of these, for a price, under the assumption that they are ‘holy temple snakes’ (ular suci).

 

 Nonetheless, they are not dangerous, as apparently their jaws open only to a breath to be able to bite the webbing between fingers or toes. For many though, the priest’s blessing from the sea rock-pool is enough.

Check tides before setting off to see if the temple rock is accessible or not.