According to legend, the temple Pura Pakendungan, better known now as Pura TANAH LOT, was founded by the 16th-century priest Danghyang Nirarta out of sheer adoration for the natural beauty of the landscape here. It’s not hard to understand why; the power of the abrupt drama of the coastline here are awe inspiring. The little temple sits a top an outcrop of rock in the surf, guarded by sea snakes. Besides Pura TANAH LOT there are several other temple nearby arrayed along the coast: Pura Enjung Galuh, Pura Batu Bolong, Pura Enjung Mejaan, and Pura Beji, all of them presently in a state of disrepair, certainly due to the violence of the sea and wind which erodes the coastline constantly. The most picturesque of these is Pura Batu Bolong ( meaning “the temple on the rock with hole in it”) : a wall of rock juts arch is carved out by the sea.
