01Guardian of a direction
The Balinese count six sad kahyangan, the great sanctuaries that hold the island in balance, and Uluwatu is the one for the south-west, the direction of Rudra. Tradition credits its first shrine to Mpu Kuturan, the priest from Java who is remembered for ordering Balinese village temple life. Dang Hyang Nirartha later enlarged it, and Balinese say he reached moksha here, rising from the cliff, which is why the temple’s full name carries luhur, gone above. Its gateways are carved with Ganesha and kala heads, in the grey coral stone of the Bukit.
02Kecak at sunset
Long-tailed macaques live in the forest around the temple and are bold with sunglasses and phones. In the evening, on an amphitheatre by the cliff, a circle of men performs the Kecak, chanting cak-cak-cak while the Ramayana is acted in the middle, from Sita’s abduction to Hanuman setting Lanka alight. The Kecak took its present form in the 1930s out of the older sanghyang trance chorus. Most visitors come for the sunset and the dance; worship in the inner temple is for those who come to pray.
On the Bukit peninsula, about 45 minutes from the airport. Sarong and sash are lent at the gate; keep belongings away from the monkeys.
