Tanah Lot Temple, located on the edge of the beach area Beraban village, district of Kediri, Tabanan regency. The distance is about 30 km west of Denpasar and about 11 km south of the town of Tabanan. The Temple was built on a hill and can be reached within a few minutes by walk, because it is only about 100 meters from the beach, when the sea water was receding.
In some tunnel barrier reef around Tanah Lot Temple there are black and white stripes snakes. Around the temple there are also springs of fresh water and can be seen when the sea was receding. The presence of springs that’s become one of the considerations when this place was selected as the foundation.
The temple is one of the seven famous sea temples in Bali. It is said that each of these temples was to be within eyesight of the next and were made to give a level of protection to the island. Dated in16th century, the shrine was built by Dang Hyang Nirartha (a priest from Java) during his travels through south-west coast of Bali. He saw a small island nearby the main land where spent the night. The next morning he asked the local fisherman to build a shrine to worship God of the Sea on the rock as he felt a holy atmosphere on the rocky island.
Tanah Lot means Land in the Middle of the Sea, is part of Tabanan Regency in the western part of Bali. It is only 33 km from Denpasar. I took the Canggu route because the line of rice fields on both sides of the road is beautiful. Otherwise there is also another route passing the Ubung bus terminal heading to West Bali and turn left at the roundabout in Kediri.
The temple is considered as one of the most sacred places in Bali. It is not accessible to visitors but reserved for pilgrimage only. However, superb views of the temple backed by the glowing sunset can be seen from so many points nearby. There is a line of souvenir shops and also a line of cafes where Es Kelapa Muda (Fresh young coconut with ice) and a variety of food and beverages are served. Some cafes even have panoramic sunset views from their terrace.