Pura Luhur

About

Pura Luhur Uluwatu rises on a high cliff at the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula in Bali, looking out across the open Indian Ocean. Founded in the long tradition of Balinese Hindu shrines that guard the perimeter of the island, the temple sits where land meets sea and where the spiritual geography of Bali finds one of its most dramatic settings.

The temple holds a particular place among the sacred sites of Bali as the only sea temple, the pura segara, that is also counted among the nine kayangan jagat, the directional temples that orient and protect the island. From its position above the surf the precinct is held to safeguard Bali from the south-western quarter, the direction of the sea and of the unseen powers that move with the tides.

Generations of Balinese Hindus have made pilgrimage here for ceremonies and for evening worship in the cool air above the waves. The cliffside complex of meru shrines, gateways, and stone walls continues to gather the devotion of the community at festival times and serves as a daily place of offering and prayer.

Significance

Pura Luhur Uluwatu's combined identity as both a sea temple and a directional temple is rare in Balinese sacred geography. Its position at the south-western edge of Bali makes it one of the great protectors of the island in the Balinese Hindu understanding of land, sea, and the unseen world.