Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot means "Earth in the Middle of the Sea" in Balinese language. Located in Tabanan, some 20 kilometers from Denpasar, the temple is located in the sea a huge rock that has been continuously over the years by the ocean tide.

Tanah Lot is said to be the work of the 15th century Nirartha priest. They say that during his travels along the south coast, saw the rock of the island's beautiful scenery and rest there. Some fishermen saw him and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night in the small island. Later, speaking with the fishermen and told them to build a shrine in the rock for his view that this is a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.

Tanah Lot temple was built and has been an important part of Balinese mythological history for centuries. The temple is one of the seven temples around the Balinese sea coast. It was said that each of the temples of the sea would be seen in the following way to form a chain along the south-western coast.

At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to save the temple from evil spirits and intruders. It is said that a giant snake, which also protects the temple. It is believed that this snake was created from the Nirartha scarf when he established the island.