Perched on the edge of cliff that overlooks some ravishing surf breaks of all Bali, the Uluwatu Temple enjoys a picturesque location that forms part of its fame and attraction for the tourists. The temple indeed holds its place among nine others as one of those key directional temples in Bali. The temple which is located on the southern part of the Bali peninsula belongs to a village called Pecatu, a sub district of south Kuta and is intriguingly placed on the very tip of a coral reef, that looks down on the raging Indian ocean below. The temple which offers a vantage point of some spectacular sunsets, also has a surrounding forestry named the Alas Kekeran which means the ‘interdict forest’ which unfortunately is the dwelling place to tribes of monkeys, who can get in the way and even in the belongings of some travellers to this region.
The temple’s name correctly means, head of stone, since ‘Ulu’ stands for head and ‘watu’ stands for stone and denotes its place on the tip of that coral reef. As it is common to such historic buildings, the Uluwatu Temple also has many legends and stories as to its origin. It is believed that the location is the place where some important figures from history attained a state called ‘moksha’ thereby rendering the site sacred. Another story of origin is that at the turn of the 16th century, many existing kingdoms of Bali tried to build temples of different locations with this one belonging to the Badung kingdom and even today the maintenance and responsibility of the temple is bestowed on one of the king’s remaining families.
Gorgeous sunsets, holy padmasana shrines, as well as a monkey dance performance in the evening hours are some of the attractions you want to capture during a visit to Uluwatu Temple.
As a renowned tourist destination one cannot be at a loss in finding a Bali luxury hotel. However the available options are somewhat staggering and confusing and amongst them the L Hotel Seminyak has earned itself a decent reputation as a residential option with a distinct difference that makes it unique and irresistible. With large luxurious suits that are simply perfect to surround yourself with utmost pampering or even as a romantic hideout that shuts out the world, this boutique hotel Bali offers charm and attraction for many travellers from holiday makers to families to couples in love looking for that memorable Bali hotel stay.
Umanga Kahandawaarachchi is a passionate travel writer who writes under the pen name, Maggie Tulliver. Her field of writing covers a wide array of content and articles related to travel and hospitality industry.