Capturing The Tanah Lot Temple in Sunset

View large on black

Tanah Lot Temple or Pura Tanah Lot is one of Indonesia's and Bali's most important and valuable heritage sea temples. Tanah Lot Temple built at the top of a huge rock which is surrounded by the sea. Built by one of the last priests to come to Bali from Java in the 16th century, its rituals include the paying of homage to the guardian spirits of the sea, Sang Dewi Danau. It located about 20 km west of Denpasar on the main highway, one arrives at the town of Kediri. where a large sign at the main intersection announces a turn-off to the southwest to Pura Tanah Lot the famous seaside temple to the south. Part of the temple juts out into the lake and a Buddhist stupa near the outer courtyard bears witness to this temple´s Hindu Buddhist roots. Early mornings are the best time to visit, as clouds or mist soon roll in.
Tanah means earth and Lot means south or sea (usually written Lod thus something like “Temple of the Easth the Sea” is intended. It is actually construct atop a large, jagged outcropping of rock just off the coast. It is accessible only during tide. The temple itself is quite modest Consisting of two shrines with tiered roofs (7 and 3), a few small buildings and two pavilions.
Poisonous black sea snakes live the rocks and in caves along the coast. They guard the temple, but give the site a reputation of being “dangerous.” Nevertheless many Balinese love to sit on the beach or on a bluff overlooking the temple in the late afternoon, watching the tides change and enjoying the silhouettes of the temple meru against the brilliant setting sun.
Like so many other temples in Bali, Tanah Lot Temple is connected with the famous bhrahman priest, Danghyang Nirartha, who wandered from Java to Bali in the 16th century. Do one of his journeys he decided to sleep in this beautiful spot, and then afterwards advised the Balinese to erect a temple here. As mentioned above, this is one of the sad kahyangan or six most holy temples for all of Bali as well as for Tabanan district.
In 1980 the temple’s rock face was starting to crumble and the area around and inside the temple started to become dangerous. The Japanese government then provided a loan to the Indonesia government of IDR 800 billion (approximately USD 130 million) to conserve the historic temple and other significant locations around Bali. As a result, over one third of Tanah Lot's "rock" is actually cunningly disguised artificial rock created during the Japanese-funded and supervised renovation and stabilization program.

Tanah Lot Temple, Bali
December 19th, 2009

Thank you very much for viewing, and for all your wonderfull comments, awards, and any critiques. I really appreciate it a lot !

Taken on: December 19, 2009

Tags:

Southeast Asia

Indonesia

Tanah Lot Temple

Tanah Lot

Canon EOS 50D

Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS

WaterEnvirons

EOvsIMpressive

GalleryofDreams

Earth Asia

ExtraOrdinairyvsImpressive « less

Sets appears in: • Most Interesting by Viewers • Sceneries more » • Bali • December 2009 « less

Groups appears in: • Truly Asia • All About Asia more » • Best of Indonesia • Better Than Good • Earth Asia (Post 3-Award 3) • Official National Geographic Group • Best of Indonesia Photos • !*Flickr Award Group*! (GIVE 5 AWARDS) • !* WATER ENVIRONS ☼ NO PEOPLE ☼ High Quality Only! P1/A2 • !* CREATIVE OUTBURSTS ▒ Rules Changed: NO 2end Life! • FREEDOM❥自由❥свобода❥자유❥LIBERTAS❥حرية • !* Gold Sealings ♠ ONLY Memories ♠ NO FLOWERS! P1/A2 ♠ • !* EXTRAORDINARILY IMPRESSIVE ♛ HIGH QUALITY ONLY! P1/A2 • Wonderful Asia, P1 C1 ( CONTEST WINNERS DISPLAYED) • !* PIONEER IN CREATIVITY ♦ - No Second Life or Sales - P1/A2 • *****MY FAVE (Admins Choice) P1/A3 • **Tintinian's Favorites/Post 1 = Award 1 • ! * The Beauty of Nature/ NO people! NO single buildings! P1/C2 • "Depth of A Single Memory" • We Are The World - We Are The People P1/A1 - • * * * The House of Image Gallery (Post 1 and must Award 3) • !* Gallery of Dreams ❣ Only Atmospheric Images! P1/A2 • Landscape Beauty - Beleza de Paisagem / Landscapes Only! « less

Camera: Canon EOS 50D, f/6.3, 1/25 sec, 18mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 50D
Lens:	EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.04 sec (1/25)
Focal Length:	18mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS Windows
Show full info

Stats: 12,278 views / 71 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: