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Tabanan, Bali · -8.6212°, 115.0868°
Bali's sea-rock icon: one of the chain of sea temples ringing the island's coast, each within sight of the next, established in the wanderings of the Javanese priest Nirartha as Majapahit's Hindu high culture took final refuge in Bali. Cut off at high tide, silhouetted at sunset, it is among the most photographed sacred sites in Asia; a third of the rock was quietly rebuilt in a 1980s Japanese-aided restoration.
Nirartha, resting on the rock, was challenged by the local priest; he meditated the rock loose from the land, set his sash upon the waves as sea snakes to guard it, and left them there — the striped kraits in the base caves are honoured as those guardians still.
The temple stands at Beraban village, Kediri sub-district in Tabanan, roughly 30 km from Ngurah Rai airport at Denpasar. The approach is by the main highway towards Kediri, where a signed junction turns south-west for Tanah Lot; from there visitors cross open ground and climb a rise to reach the temple.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Majapahit-era Bali