Batu Bolong Temple
Hollow sea rock shrine on a stone bridge, guarding spring water used in Balinese purification rites.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Batu Bolong Temple in Bali starts with the contradiction that draws people out onto its rock: saltwater pounding the outside while fresh water bubbles up inside the hollow arch. It follows the legend of the traveling priest Dang Hyang Nirartha, who is said to have dozed off on the rock in the 1500s and dreamed of a temple standing there. You'll hear how he is said to have turned his own sash into a sea snake to guard the shrine, and why Balinese fishermen still treat the snakes in these crevices as sacred. Walk the narrow stone bridge out to the arch and look down through the hole worn clean by centuries of waves.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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