The astonishing Location of the
Ulu Watu Temple...

The stunning Ulu Watu temple is located right on an edge of a cliff on the southern tip of the Badung Peninsula. This sea temple is one of the five temples dedicated to the gods who guard the sea.

The other four sea temples, Tanah Lot, Pura Sekenan, Pura Rambut Siwi, Pura Petitenget are all found along the south coast as well.

The Ulu Watu temple is not as impressive as other Balinese temples, but the cliffs dropping 100 metres into the clear blue Indian Ocean creates a dramatic and amazing setting.

Because of its remote location there are hardly any visitors at the temple. But if you are able to find time to drive there, you should. You’ll be surprised about the whole landscape.

A must to see...

Everybody who visits the temple complex must wear a sarong and a temple scarf which can be obtained at the entrance for a small donation.

Before arriving at the actual temple you have to walk a couple of metres pass colonies of macaque monkeys. Some say that they can be really aggressive. I am not sure what was up when I was there, but the monkeys hardly showed any interest.

We thought that the drive to Ulu Watu temple from Kuta would be really quick but our planning didn’t really work out and before we realized it the sun was burning straight on our heads.

The sea breeze was not even able to cool us off. So try to visit the temple in the morning or late afternoon...

You have to climb 71 stairs before you reach the temple.

The temple was built in the 16th century by Danghyang Nirartha, a Javanese Hindu priest who fled to Bali after the Majapahit kingdom collapsed in Java due to the influence of the Islam. It is said that Nirartha achieved enlightment at Ulu Watu.

But the story does not stop here...

A Balinese legend describes how the gods of the Majapahit kingdom followed their people when they fled from Java to Bali. The ship of Dewi Danu, the goddess of water, finally arrived at Uluwatu.

Once she touched the shore, a cliff rose hundred meters up on which the temple now stands. The pointy cliff reflects the bow of her ship.

The cliff from the left angle

The official name of the temple is Pura Luhur Ulu Watu, ‘Ulu’ means 'head'; ‘Watu’ means 'rock' and ‘Luhur’ is a combined description of the words 'heavenly, ancestral, original and inspiring'.

The temple is made from coral and therefore the temple must have been sparkling white once. But due to many centuries of erosion it has now its current dark colour.

The meru with the 3 roofs and that stands on the edge of the cliff is dedicated to Shiva, the destroyer.

About a century ago only the prins of Badung was aloud to enter the temple however he was killed by the Dutch during the ‘puputan’ in 1906.

Now it is maintained by the royal Denpasar family but is owned by the Balinese people.

The temple is especially important for the Balinese fishers who worship Dewi Laut, the sea goddess.

You can walk around the whole temple complex except for the ‘jeroan’, the inner most courtyard. This area is off limits to non-worshippers but can be viewed from the side. On both sides of the temple there are paths along the ridge of the cliff.

If you take the path to the right and walk pass the ‘bale’ where you can sit in the shade for a while, you will finally end up at the edge of another cliff from where you can take amazing pictures of the temple, the cliffs and the Indian Ocean.

On the left side of the temple there is an open-air theater where every night at 6 pm you can witness a kecak dance performance. The whole temple setting will definitely make the performance more spectacular.

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