01Nirartha’s rock
Dang Hyang Nirartha, also called Pedanda Shakti Wawu Rauh, was a Shaiva priest who crossed from Java to Bali as Majapahit fell, and the Balinese priesthood of today traces much of its lineage and teaching to him. The Balinese account says he rested on this rock while walking the south coast, found it a fitting place to worship the guardians of the sea, and told the fishermen to build a shrine. Tanah Lot is one of a chain of sea temples along the south-west coast, each said to be in sight of the next.
02Held against the sea
At low tide you can walk across the sand to the foot of the rock, where a freshwater spring rises and priests give tirta, holy water, and rice grains to pilgrims. Black-and-white sea snakes live in the crevices below and are held to be the temple’s guardians. The waves have been eating the rock for centuries, and a large share of what you see today is artificial rock placed around the base in a restoration programme to stop it collapsing.
About an hour from Denpasar. Only worshippers climb into the temple itself; check the tide table, and come before sunset to avoid the densest crowds.
