Sun, Sea and Tanah Lot
Pura Tanah Lot, or Tanah Lot temple, is said to be the work of revered 15th century Hindu priest Nirartha and has been an important element of Balinese spiritualism and mythology for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast and each of the sea temples was established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the south-western coast. At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders.
Tanah Lot means “Land in the Sea” in Balinese and legends tell that during Nirarthas travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island’s beautiful setting and rested there. While he rested some fishermen saw him and bought him gifts, Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.
Almost every visitor to Bali plans to see this spectacular temple at least once, and sunset is the most popular time to visit. What is most impressive about this site is that although there are hundreds of tourists here every night, with a little bit of effort you can find a quiet place to sit and watch the sun set behind this iconic temple. I had planned to stay near to the grounds for two nights, just in case the weather was against me or if it was perfect on the first night, as I was hoping, it would give me another night to take images of the nearby Pura Batu Bolong. Luckily for me the sunset on the first night was every bit as colourful and spectacular as I had hoped.
The following evening I walked to the deserted Pura Batu Bolong, a small shrine located just a stone’s throw from its famous neighbour. The difference in visitors between the two temples was unbelievable; I was the only person on the beach for the vast majority of the evening, only being joined by two more people as the sun dipped behind the surging Indian Ocean. The sunset was spectacular once again, something Bali is known for I am told, and I was extremely pleased with my shots from both temples.
It is time for a new country now, although believe it or not I am not sure where that will be as yet! Unusually for me I am taking a short break and will be deciding during this time where to head off to next… Although after spending so much time in the countryside I think I’ll be heading towards some big city lights!
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