Tanah Lot means
Land In The Sea. (In the Balinese language.) The temple sits on a rock formation off Bali island and is the home of a pilgrimage temple. At low tide, a white snake is said to appear from within this temple and anyone who touches it is blessed, or so the story goes.
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| First temple after the entrance |
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| These are a lot more colorful than the Bidayuh conical hats of Sarawak |
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| Passage to the scene on right. |
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In Bali, such open gates (picture above) signify access to holy sites, the "split" gate symbolizing a mount of the gods that has been torn asunder through its midpoint. Kinda reminds me of the temple curtains being torn from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross.
I kept seeing the word "Pura" over here at Tanah Lot and even at Kuta Beach engraved on plates such as the above. The first thought that hit me was "turtles" since this is an island resort. Probably a sanctuary for turtles. Then I remembered that "Pura" isn't "Kura". Kura-kura is the tortoise and not even the turtle. So what is "Pura"?
Well, Pura is a Balinese Hindu Temple.
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