Tanah Lot

Ah, Tanah Lot, the temple perched proudly on a massive rock formation around 300 meters off the coast of Bali.

Imagine a serene-looking place with a temple building surrounded by nothing but a rocky formation and the endless expanse of the ocean while waves relentlessly crash into the shore. While this temple is a Hallowed place of worship, it is also a very unique one, being an island, and it is no wonder that it is one of the pura segara in Bali – Aeroponic temples that form a spiritual ring barrier around the island.

Here is a fun fact – Tanah Lot is not the actual temple, but the rock formation on which the temple stands. In the local tongue, Tanah means “reef,” and Lot or Lod means “sea” – the two words combined give you the “Tanah Lot” which essentially means “Land Sea.” Coincidentally or intentionally, the name much accurately describes the place, as the small island seen from a faraway distance seems like a fragmented “land” appearing out of the sea.

Locations:

Getting to Tanah Lot Temple is an adventure in and of itself! The temple is nestled amidst the beautiful countryside of Beraban’s coastline and is, therefore, a perfect tourist destination for anyone visiting Bali. Tanah Lot Temple is located about 20 kilometers west of Denpasar and a mere 11 kilometers from the beautiful town of Tabanan. The temple enables tourists to have a peaceful break from urban life .

Well, suppose you’re leaving the bustling streets of Kuta. In that case, you should be prepared to spend about 60 minutes on a leisurely drive to the temple, provided there’s not a single frustrating traffic jam to stand in your path.

If you’re embarking on your trip from the no-less-busy Seminyak, consider yourself fortunate; you should arrive in roughly 45 short minutes, assuming the traffic gods are smiling. Now, buckle up, relax, and get ready for an unforgettable journey to Tanah Lot Temple.

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History:

The fascinating story of the Tanah Lot Temple is almost like a legend! This holy place, also known as the Tanah Lot Holy Temple, is one of the seven Kahyangan Temples and used by the devout of Hindus-Balinese for worshiping the spirits of the sea in a form of their guardian deities.

With the introduction out of the way, let me now tell you the enchanting story of its creation, starring none other than Sage Dang Hyang Niartha, also known as Sage Dhang Hyang Dwijendra. Legend has it that this man traveled from Java, spreading the teachings of Hinduism before he finally appeared before the people of Bali in the 16th century . However, this is where things take a strange turn – supposedly, the priest reached Bali riding on none other than a pumpkin! Surprisingly, this is the reason why, to this day, there are Balinese that avoid consuming pumkin.

Now, let’s turn our focus to the main event. During those fateful times, Bali’s ruler, King Dalem Waturenggong, found himself facing a series of plagues that devastated his kingdom. In his desperation, the monarch turned to the wise priest, who responded by cutting a lock of his hair and giving it to the king as a gift. He told Dalem that, upon sight of his hair, the disease would recede. To this day, said hair is held in another temple on the island as a reminder of the priest’s otherworldly intervention.

Dalem Waturenggong happily welcomed the arrival of Dang Hyang Niartha and permitted him to spread the doctrine of Hinduism in several remote places in Bali .

In due course, as the teachings of Hinduism gained notoriety in the furthest reaches of Bali, the revered Dang Hyang Niartha ventured to the humble Desa Beraban. But perched near its beachfront was an extraordinary spectacle—a spring that spewed forth from an outcrop of rock, known as the Gili Beo.

The name of the rock is almost as curious as the formation itself. On its own, “Gili” means coral, and “Beo” means parrot. A strange pair of words, but according to legend, Gili Beo bore a striking resemblance to a coral-encrusted parrot perched upon the shore hence the name.

The Desa Beraban was under the rule of a respected leader, known as Bendesa Beraban Sakti. As the spiritual head of the village of Beraban, Bendesa Beraban Sakti explored a significant influence on the hearts and minds of his people. However, when news of Dang Hyang Niartha’s journey to Beraban Village and the teachings of Hinduism were heard by Bendesa Beraban Sakti, the scene had become dark.

He felt as though his authority and the tradition he supports was being stripped from him, and he thus became angry. In Dang Hyang Niartha’s words and wisdom, villager found solace in his teachings of Hinduism.

As a result, Bendesa Beraban Sakti’s many followers started abandoning the traditional village teachings. Experiencing a decreasing number of loyal followers, Bendesa took action. He gathered all of his remaining comrades to drive Dang Hyang Niartha out of the village and win back the people’s hearts. What Bendesa did not know at that time was that Dhag Hyang Niartha was just as determined to prove the strength of his conviction.

In a spectacular display of the power of faith and devotion to the gods, Dang Hyang Niartha , using his divine powers moved Gili Beo and relocated it into the heart of the ocean, encircled with a legion of snakes which he had conjured from his holy scarf. These serpents would forever stand vigilant watch over Tanah Lot, their venom so potent that it was said to be three times more lethal than that of a cobra . Having witnessed his own skills, the awe-struck Bendesa Beraban Sakti threw himself to the ground and begged for pardon. Acknowledging the error of his ways, the Bendesa swore allegiance to the ways of the Hindu and sought the guidance of the Brahmin.

The high priest then renamed the isle to Tanah Lot, or land in the ocean, thus signifying its religious acceptance.From that time on, Dang Hyang Niartha transformed Tanah Lot into a holy place to locate heaven placed on the earth. Dang Hyang Niartha established a shrine that later became the holiest place to meditate and worship.

Holy Water at Tanah Lot Temple

Under the hallowed bounds of Tanah Lot Temple one can discover hidden water. A small cave is secluded within the rugged rock formations, and in this cave a stream of fresh pure water day is flowing without any obstruction. This is a natural source of freshwater from which the community has been enjoying remedial benefits, despite the coastal location. Due to the exposure of negligence of contamination, the local community treasures this water. The temple priests keep this water, and it is known as holy water. Those who visit the temple are always allowed to carry some of the holy water home. It purifies the body and the spirit, throwing away any bad omen and evil spirit away.

Therefore, to all future travelers who wish to witness this sacred ritual themselves, a trip to the holy water site under the Tanah Lot Temple is recommended. The healing music of the ocean’s waves will surround you as the priests continue to bless you with the holy water from their temple’s holy spring, eventually giving out to something larger with every drop.

Present Day Tanah Lot

The Tanah Lot Temple, a sprawling complex of wooden structures, has a history dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Perched precariously atop an enormous coral rock, the Tanah Lot was once part of Bali’s mainland but has since eroded away from the island. In the 1980s, Pura Tanah Lot was in a state of disrepair, ripe with crumbled rock faces, and its interior was declared unsafe for visitors.

Due to the temple’s cultural value, the Indonesian Government sought the assistance of the Japanese Government and world monument funds to resolve this issue . The Japanese government and individual donors around the world provided financial resources to undertake a restoration initiative that went beyond safeguarding Tanah Lot to preserving several other fragile temple sites across Bali.

In 1986, the shoreline was fortified with approximately one hundred concrete supports, which protected the temple but did so at the sacrifice of its natural aesthetics and ecology . Presently, certain portions of the rock that encompass Tanah Lot are composed of human-made structures built during the reconstruction effort . While the use of concrete supports has secured the temple’s structural survival for future generations, it has generated several unintended consequences. The redirected wave currents from the restrictive rock structure have caused erosion in other areas, degrading the coral reef environment . Additionally, an influx of tourists circumvents daily burden to the temple architecture and surrounding environment. Nevertheless, Tanah Lot perseveres as an emblem of Bali’s socio-cultural history, attracting guests from all over the world.