Bali Tanah Lot Temple is situated in the Beraban countryside, Kediri sub district, and Tabanan Regency, on the coastal side. It is located 30 km west of the town of Denpasar and about 11 km south of Tabanan town. The temple is built on a 3-acre rock and can be reached in a few minutes on foot, as it is just 20 meters from the coastal lip. This temple is very popular among Bali’s tourist destinations, with stunning sunset views. A few coral reef nooks around Tanah Lot Temple.
Context of Tanah Lot Temple’s Phrase
Tanah Lot’s word consists of two terms translated as a reef looking like gili or island, which are Tanah terms. The word Lot, or Lod, means the sea. So Tanah Lot means the little island that’s floating on the sea. The location is now named as Tanah Lot was used as a place that looked into holy, proven from the life of menhir, at a Megalithic age. The layout of the Tanah Lot Temple is therefore constructed at an irregular reef plain at its angle, which consisted of only one plain yard like Jeroan, according to environmental conditions. Tanah Lot Temple differences from other temples on the island of Bali, since Tanah Lot is founded on a plain of coral the irregular corners of his home do not have a few pages.
There are tiered shrines inside the real temple compound itself that adopt the basic elements of Balinese architecture, where the number of levels designed symbolises the complexities of the religion. Within the region, there are other formations that suggest that the site not only has great religious significance, but also retains archaeological value. There is a rite or ceremony at the temple nestled in the ocean that takes place every 6 months or 210 days. All Hindus from different regions of Bali will come to worship in peace and harmony at that time to invoke.
Tanah Lot Temple’s history
Dang Hyang Nirartha, or better known as Pedanda Sakti Wau Rauh, came around the 16th century from the Blambangan area of East Java to Bali Island. In Gelgel, Bali, at the time of the reign of King Dalem Waturenggong. Later, he took a holy journey (Dharmayatra) and walked from the western to the eastern regions along the south coast of Bali Island. At the end of the trip, he found a beach in the Tabanan district (now the Tabanan Regency), not far from the village of Baraban. In addition, in the form of a small island in the sea, he saw a rock. He meditates in this position and he hears the vibrations of chastity. So on top of the rock, he proposed that a holy building be set up to worship God, then the Tanah Lot Temple is now.
The Uniqueness of Tanah Lot Temple
One of the novelty of the owned Tanah Lot is that there are a variety of caves across the street from the temple in which lived a few sea snakes that are coloured black and white that can typically be met on the shore. There is no athwart skin in part of its stomach, there is just small skin, but this sea water snake is very dangerous, but the case of snake bite is very rare because the sea water snake is normally very passive. These snakes are very tame and should not be bullied because they are considered a keeper’s precursor and defend the entire region from unknown evil powers. Then there is also the confidence that there is also the source of holy water in the Tanah Lot Temple, specifically under the temple. It is believed that holy water will provide sustenance for anyone who drinks it.
From the function of the main temple building in the main area of the temple, the function of this temple can be realized. There is the main temple in this place to worship a god in the form of Dewa Baruna or Bhatara Segara, the force of the sea. The temple building with 5 stories is the means of worship of this deity, while the 3 story temple building in the northern part of this city is intended to worship Dang Hyang Nirartha.
