Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot (Balinese: ᬢᬦᬄᬮᭀᬢ᭄) is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali. It is home to the ancient Hindu pilgrimage temple Pura Tanah Lot (literally "Tanah Lot temple"), a popular tourist and cultural icon for photography.^[1]

Tanah Lot

Pura Tanah Lot
Tanah Lot Show map of Bali Tanah Lot Show map of Indonesia
Geography
Location	Indonesia
Coordinates	8.62107°S 115.08716°E / -8.62107; 115.08716

Location

Tanah Lot is in Beraban,^[2] Kediri district, Tabanan Regency, approximately 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) south of Tabanan and 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of Denpasar. It sits on a large offshore rock and is only accessible on foot at low tide.^[3]

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  Tanah Lot
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  Statue in Tanah Lot
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  General view
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  Nearby cliffs

Tanah Lot temple

Tanah Lot is one of the seven main Balinese "sea temples",^[4] located along the southwestern coast of the island. The name means "land [in the] sea" in the Balinese language.^[5][6] The main deity of the temple is Dewa Baruna, or Bhatara Segara, the sea god, or sea power.^{[citation needed]}

Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 16th-century religious figure Dang Hyang Nirartha, who was significantly influenced by Hinduism and who allegedly spent a night there in the course of his extensive travels in Bali, Lombok, and Sumbawa.^[a] In the present day, Nirartha is also worshipped at Tanah Lot.^[8]

Pura Batu Bolong, some 300 m north of Pura Tanah Lot

Restoration

In the 1980s, the temple's rock face started to crumble, and the area around and inside the temple became dangerous.^[9] The Japanese government then provided a loan to the Indonesian government of Rp 800 billion (approximately US$480 million^[10]) to conserve the historic temple and other significant locations around Bali. As a result, over one-third of Tanah Lot's "rock" is disguised artificial rock created during the Japanese-funded and supervised renovation and stabilization program.^{[citation needed]}

Tourism

According to a 2019 study, Tanah Lot is one of the most visited places in Indonesia, averaging 500,000 tourists each year.^[11]

To reach the temple, visitors must walk through a set of outdoor souvenir shops that cover each side of a path down to the sea. On the mainland clifftops, there are restaurants.

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  Guardians of the gate
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  Stair dragon
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  Sacred water at Tanah Lot temple
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  Odalan ritual
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  Kecak Dance, 14 August 2022

See also

• Indonesia portal

• Indonesian architecture
• Hindu temple architecture