Tanah Lot , The Land From God

Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali, located precisely in
countryside of Beraban, district of Kediri, sub-province of Tabanan. About 20 km from
Denpasar, and 13 km from city of Tabanan, wide of Tanah Tanah Lot is 202.830 m 2 and the circle
is 2.509 m. Tanah Lot visited by one million of domestic and foreign tourist every year, so that
Tanah Lot becoming one of the tourism icon in Bali. All of that thing because of Tanah Lot have
different characteristic with the other, that is ; looks like a floating one if the tide is high but
when tide is low, people can walk to the temple. There is a cave which are inhabited by holy
snake. People believe and the priest that guard the cave say if we touch the snakes we will got
blessing from god and embrace by kindness , according to the belief the snake belong to the God
in the temple.
History
Tanah Lot consist of 2 words. Which is Tanah means "Land" and Lot mean "Sea" in
Balinese language. So, Tanah Lot means " Land in The Sea". The temple sits on a large offshore
rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.
Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 16th century priest Nirartha. During his travels along
the south coast he saw the rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw
him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the
fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship
the Balinese sea gods. 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 were established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the southwestern coast.
At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple
from evil spirits and intruders. A giant snake purportedly protects the temple, which was created
from Niratas scarf when he established the island.
Restoration
In 1980 the temples 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 Rp 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.

Tourism
The area leading to Tanah Lot is highly commercialized and people are required to pay to
enter the area. To reach the temple, visitors must walk through a carefully planned set of
Balinese market-format souvenir shops which cover each side of the path down to the sea. On
the mainland cliff tops, restaurants have also been provided for tourists.
Border of Tanah Lot
North : Rice Field
East : Bali Nirvana Resort
South : Indian Ocean
West : Indian Ocean and River of Kutika

From : http://pariwisatadanteknologi.blogspot.com/2010/05/tanah-lot-land-from-god.html

Artikel Bahasa Inggris di atas bercerita tentang salah satu destinasi wisata di Bali yaitu
Tanah Lot, yang terletak di desa Beraban, Kabupaten Kediri, Kabupaten Tabanan. Berjarak 20
km dari Denpasar dan 13 km dari kota Tabanan, luas Tanah Lot adalah 202,830 m 2 dan
kelilingnya 2,509 m. tanah Lot dikunjungi oleh satu juta wisatawan domestic maupun asing
setiap tahunnya dan menjadi salah satu dari ikon Bali. Karakteristik Tanah Lot adalah tampak
seperti mengambang ketika air pasang tinggi, kita bias berjalan kesana ketika air pasang rendah.
Disana ada gua yang konon dijaga oleh ular suci, menurut orang percaya dan imam jika kita
menyentuh ular tersebut kita akan mendapat berkat dan banyak kebaikan dari Allah.
Tanah Lot memiliki arti tanah diatas laut. Candi ditanah lot ini letaknya diatas batu besar
lepas pantai yang dibentuk selama bertahun-tahun oleh gelombang laut. Diklaim Tanah Lot karya
Imama abad ke-16 Nirartha. Tanah Lot Candi ini dibangun dan telah menjadi bagian dari
mitologi Bali selama berabad-abad. Candi ini salah satu dari tujuh candi laut di sekitar pantai
Bali. Setiap candi laut didirikan dalam penglihatan dari samping membentuk rantai sepanjang
pantai selatan-barat.
Pada tahun 1980 batu wajah candi mulai runtuh dan daerah sekitar dan di dalam kuil
mulai menjadi berbahaya. Pemerintah Jepang kemudian memberikan pinjaman kepada
pemerintah Indonesia sebesar Rp 800 miliar (sekitar Rp 130.000.000 $) untuk melestarikan candi
bersejarah dan lokasi penting lainnya di seluruh Bali. Akibatnya, lebih dari sepertiga dari Tanah
Lot "rock" sebenarnya adalah batu buatan yang diciptakan selama renovasi dan stabilisasi
Program Jepang yang didanai dan diawasi.
Daerah yang mengarah ke Tanah Lot sangat dikomersialkan dan orang diharuskan
membayar untuk masuk daerah. Untuk mencapai kuil, pengunjung harus berjalan melalui
serangkaian direncanakan dengan hati-hati dari toko-toko suvenir pasar format Bali yang
meliputi setiap sisi jalan ke laut. Pada puncak daratan tebing, restoran juga telah disediakan
untuk wisatawan.
Perbatasan Tanah Lot yaitu, Utara: Sawah, Timur: Bali Nirvana Resort, Selatan: Samudra
Hindia, Barat: Samudera Hindia dan Sungai Kutika