THE STORY OF TANAH LOT

The Bali Island

Located near the equator at 114' 20'' - 115' 45'' west of Greenwich, 08' 00'' - 08' 50'' south of equator. The island is part of Republic of Indonesia which is in fact it is more famous than the country itself.
Small island, whith an area of only 5,632 square kilometers and measures just 90 kilometers along the north-south axis and 140 kilometers from East to West that which make Bali easy to explore the island on day tours.

The People
Bali's population has grown to over 3 million people the overwhelming majority of which are Hindus.

What Makes Bali so Special
There is the combination of the friendly people, the natural attractions, the great variety of things to see and do, the year-round pleasant climate, and the absence of security problems. And then there is Bali's special "magic", which is difficult to explain. As soon as you step off the plane you might sense the difference. In the villages you'll notice the quietness and wisdom in old people's faces, and the interest and respect in the young's.

God and spirits have been an important part of Bali's daily life for hundreds of years. Gunung Agung – Bali's holy mountain – is internationally regarded as one of the eight "Chakra" points of the world. This may be more than an coincident. Watch out, the moment you feel the magic of this island, you're addicted for the rest of your life.
Bali, well known as a paradise island, a land of a thousand gods, thousand temples, thousand dances, is located at the Pacific Ocean, just below the equatorial line, on latitude 8 degree south and longitude 115 degree east. The island is considered to be the most attractive island to visitors. It is estimated that the were more than 3.000.000 visitors a year from all round the world. Most of them seek an understanding of a way of life that is really unique.
Dance is a part of Balinese life. This can be watched in every cultural or religious activities. The most common and attractive dance are Barong and Kecak. The dances daily perform in several places around Ubud or Singapadu. There are several other dances that could excite you such as the Gambung, the Topeng, the Baris, and the Legong. The most classical and exciting dance is the Gambuh, which is very rare to perform. The other one is the Topeng, which is the traditional masked dance. This dance is usually performed in ritual ceremonies. The Baris which is known as the warrior's dance, is usually performed in certain events.
The population of Bali is estimated 3,500,000 people who live mostly at southern part of the island. The capital city of Bali's province is Denpasar, which is populated around 300,000. The second largest town is Singaraja, which is located in the north. The most attractive tourist areas is Kuta beach, which is only 15 minutes drive from the International Ngurah Rai Airport. Other places, such as Ubud, Nusa Dua, Sanur Candidasa beach are also very nice places to visit. The other place at Bali that people interested most is Tanah lot. Tanah Lot has legenda story which is so popular for Hinduism.
In the story of Dang Hyang Nirartha (a Hindu high priest), when he traveled around Bali, he came upon tanah lot which is located in tabanan and here, he decided to stay the night. It is said that this very important priest came to bali in about 1411 according to the balinese icaka calendar, or 1489 AD by the western calendar.
After pending some time in the temple of Siva's Hair, he moved on going further east. The esteemed priest and his devoted followers followed the southern coastline of Bali on their journey. For the entire trip along the shores of Bali, he was accompanied by the sound of the crashing waves in his ears and the sharp breeze penetrating his body. It was through this closeness with nature that, he thought of the power of God and God's power to create all of nature and all the contents of the world. It also occurred to him that, as God had created humankind, humans should give thanks and pay respect to God. The priest Dang Hyang Nirartha always carried a special carving knife, with which he could carve Inscriptions and notes on the long "lontar" palm slabs, and wrote what he saw, felt or thought of as important .
The recordings were made in verse form. This priest was such a great man, that when he was totally involved in something. he forgot about all else and never tired in his journey. His feet virtually floated above the ground he traversed. It wasn't long before he arrived at a small Island almost, Joined to the shore that was made of coral. Here he stopped a moment to rest. The people here were all fishermen and they gathered together to pay their respects. The fishermen wanted Dang Hyang Nirartha to stay at their modest homes, but he refused their invitation. He wanted to spend the night on the small island because the air was cool and fresh. He also had a wonderful view .
That evening before he retired for the night, he was able to teach the people who came to see him moral ethics, religion and welfare. Dang Hyang Nirartha advised the people at this time to build a Parhyangan (temple) at this place where he had chosen to stay for the night. Because of the feeling this holy man felt in his inner soul, and other strange, mysterious and miraculous happenings that occurred there, the priest knew that this was the right place to praise God (Sanghyang Widhi Wasa). From there on the Balinese would have a place at which they could praise God and request salvation and safety for the world.
Why is this temple one of the favorite tourist attractions for people from around the world ? You should go and When Dang Hyang Nirartha finally left this place, the people with whom he had spoken, indeed built the holy temple and gave it the name "Pura Pakendungan" which nowadays is better known as "Tanahlot". This temple is well know throughout not only Indonesia, but the entire world. see for yourself - it is beautiful and unique. You will have to arrange to travel 31 Km from Denpasar and that will take about an hour. Ran port is no problem as tourist buses go there all the time if you won't have some other private transport arrangement.

The best time to see it is in the afternoon when the sun setting in he west splits the shore line in half along a north-south axis. His spectacle will live on long in your memory. There is a religious ceremony coming up on the 7th of August 1996. The atmosphere will be even further enhanced as the Balinese Hindus in their ceremonial rests go to the temple to pray.