Tanah Lot, one of the most popular places of interest in Bali, is located on the coast of West Bali, at the village of Beraban in the Tabanan Regency.It is also called Tanah Let which means ancient land and also Tanah Lod, which means the land to the south.

The temple Pura Tanah Lot, simple in its construction, is dramatic in its ocean-front location and is one of the main temples in the worship of Balinese gods.

From the village of Marga, the trip west returns to the main route leading to Tabanan. At the crossroads of Kediri, a side-road branches to the sea, ending on a green hill which slopes down to the beach and to the remarkable temple of Tanah Lot, suspended on a huge rock offshore. Set apart from the land by a stone basin, the rock has been carved by incoming tides. Tanah Lot, with its solitary black towers and tufts of foliage spilling over the cliffs, recalls the delicacy of a Chinese painting. If hearsay is to be believed, there dwells inside one of the shrines at Tanah Lot a huge snake, discreetly left undisturbed by the Balinese.

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 Ball 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 from this vantage point.

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.

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. Why is this temple one of the favorite tourist attractions for people from around the world ? You should go and 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.