Tanah Lot Temple

Visiting Bali without coming to Tanah Lot is a waste. Tanah Lot is a destination where you can spend your time enjoying the view of the sunset in Bali. The destination is located in Kediri, Tabanan which approximately 13 kilometers far from Tabanan City and 20 kilometers from Denpasar. Tanah Lot is a beach which has many rocks on its beach. Tanah Lot means Land on the sea. It has been called land on the sea because there is a temple which sits on offshore rocks on the sea. The temple is Tanah Lot Temple.

Tanah Lot Temple is a temple which has uniqueness. Tanah Lot Temple is a temple which is looked like it is on the sea. The temple exactly sits on the offshore rocks. When the sea plugs, the temple is looked like it sits on the sea water. Tanah Lot Temple is believed to be established in the 16^th Century by Dang Hyang Nirartha. It was claimed to be a holy place for Dang Hyang Nirartha, so he asked the fishermen to build a shrine on the rocks. The temple becomes one of the seven temples in Bali’s coasts. Under the rocks, it is believed that a venomous giant snake is living there to protect the temple for any intruders and evil spirits. The snake is believed was created from Dang Hyang Nirartha’s selendang (some kinds of shawl). He changes the shawl becomes snake to protect the temple he had built. This story is a part of the mythology of Hinduism.

The other attraction of this destination is the sunset. The sunset view of this beach is quite different since we can see the sunset with the view of the small island. Watching the end of the day with the view of the iconic temple of Bali can be a wonderful experience. The only challenge in visiting Tanah Lot is the crowd visitors. To enjoy the sunset, you don’t need to spend all your day there. You just need to come 2 hours before the sunset. While waiting, you can take photos near the cave or seeing sea snakes which live on the base of the offshore rocks. These snakes are also believed to become the guardian of the temple.

The view of the sunset on a beach is common, but the view of the sunset which comes with a silhouette of the offshore temple might be a different attraction. Add Tanah Lot on your bucket list now and enjoy the wonderful view at peace. While entering to reach the beach, you can visit the Balinese traditional market and get special souvenirs there.