Tanah Lot

Pura Tanah Lot is a Hindu temple on a rocky outcrop just off the coast at Beraban village in the Tabanan Regency of Bali, about 20 kilometres north-west of Denpasar. Its name means land in the sea in Balinese.

According to Balinese tradition, the temple was founded in the 16th century by the Javanese priest Dang Hyang Nirartha, who rested on the rock and told local fishermen to build a shrine to the sea gods there. It is one of the seven main sea temples along the south-western coast of Bali. In the 1980s the rock face began to erode, and the Indonesian government, with Japanese support, reinforced the base with artificial rock.

At low tide visitors can walk across to the base of the rock, where a freshwater spring rises and priests give blessings. Only Balinese Hindus are allowed to climb the steps into the temple itself. Sea snakes living in the rocky crevices are believed to guard the temple. A second temple, Pura Batu Bolong, stands on a rock arch nearby. The cliffs and the gardens on the mainland are a popular place to watch the sunset, and traditional Kecak dances are performed in the evenings.

Entry tickets are sold at the main gate, and parking is charged separately. Check tide times before visiting, as the walk to the rock is only possible at low tide. Late afternoon is very crowded because of the sunset.

The temple is dedicated to Dewa Baruna, also called Bhatara Segara, the god of the sea, and Dang Hyang Nirartha himself is worshipped here. The conservation work of the 1980s was paid for with a loan from the Japanese government, and more than a third of the rock seen today is artificial.

Tanah Lot is about 13 kilometres south of Tabanan town. A 2019 study estimated around 500,000 visitors a year, and the path from the car park to the shore runs past rows of souvenir shops, with restaurants along the clifftops. Pura Batu Bolong lies about 300 metres to the north and is quieter for photographs.