Tanah Lot, Bali

Tanah Lot is a sacred temple built on an island rock formation on the coast of Bali, Indonesia. Since the temple was built on a rock formation, the Balinese named it Tanah Lot, which means, “Land in the middle of the sea. In the 15th century there was a priest by the name Niartha, who discovered the place to be Holy. He spent the night on the island and became inspired that a temple should be built on it. He later met some fishermen and said to them that they should construct a temple on the island because it is a sacred place for people to worship the Balinese sea gods. The Balinese believe that the island is protected by venomous sea snakes against the evil spirits and trespassers.

In 1980 the structure of Tanah Lot started to deteriorate due to environmental factors. The island was slowly breaking down and was becoming too hazardous for people to visit. The Japanese government stepped in and decided to give the Indonesian government 800 Billion rupiahs to renovate the temple. Today, the structure of Tanah Lot stands as one-third artificial rock.

People enjoy going to Tanah Lot to dine at the restaurants on the cliff tops and to gaze at the spectacular sunset. Tanah Lot is one of the many tourist attractions in Bali and is a must see stop for people visiting the island.