tanah lot1 - Tanah Lot means “Land [in the] Sea” in the Balinese language. Located in Tabanan, about 20 kilometres from Denpasar, the temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.

Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 16th-century Dang Hyang Nirartha. During his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island’s beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock, to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods. The main deity of the temple is Dewa Baruna or Bhatara Segara, who is the sea god or sea power and these days, Nirartha is also worshipped here.

The Tanah Lot temple was built and has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. Each of the sea temples was established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the south-western coast. In addition to Balinese mythology, the temple was significantly influenced by Hinduism.

At the base of the rocky island, venomous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. The temple is purportedly protected by a giant snake, which was created from Nirartha’s selendang (a type of sash) when he established the island.

If you only want to visit Tanah Lot without entering the temple area, there is no dress code required. If you want to get into the temple area, please note there is a strict dress code that you should follow.

For women need to wear a sarong (clothes that wrap from waist to ankle) and you need to tie a scarf or a sash on the waist. Please note, woman during menstruation, are not allowed to enter the temple area.
For men also need to wear a sarong, a shirt, a scarf or a sash tied around the waist.