Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali. It is home to the pilgrimage temple, a popular tourist and cultural icon for photography. Quick google on Bali, will display zillion images of this iconic temple. Tanah Lot means “Land [in the] Sea” in the Balinese language.

This temple sits on a large offshore rock, which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. The main deity of the temple is Dewa Baruna or Bhatara Segara, who is the sea god or sea power and these days, Nirartha is also worshipped here. However, we could not go inside the temple.

The Tanah Lot temple was built and has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. Each of the sea temples was established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the south-western coast. In addition to Balinese mythology, the temple was significantly influenced by Hinduism.

At the base of the rocky island, venomous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. The temple is purportedly protected by a giant snake, which was created from Nirartha’s selendang (a type of sash) when he established the island. (Wiki)