Bali’s Iconic Temple by The Cliff: Uluwatu Temple

Ever dreaming about overseeing the wide-open Indian Ocean, endless horizon on your sight, and the beautiful cotton-candy like clouds from a temple on the cliff? Bring that up and everybody will start talking about Uluwatu Temple to you!

Known locally as Pura Luhur Uluwatu, the ancient sea temple stood 70 meters above sea level, for ulu means ‘top’ and watu translates to ‘stone’ in Balinese language. It is included in the group of seven Bali main temples, famous for its spirituality. To get here, you need to drive to the south of the paradisal island to reach Jalan Raya Uluwatu in Pecatu.

There is a belief that Uluwatu Temple was first initiated by Mpu Kuturan, a monk from Majapahit. Until one day, Dhang Hyang Dwijendra, a priest from East Java, reached Uluwatu Temple as the final of his long spiritual journey. As the legend tells, Dhang Hyang Dwijendra was also the one who designed Uluwatu Temple. A Brahmin statue that represents him can be easily found standing to the ocean face right behind the main shrine in one of the courtyard. However, up until this day, the temple has gone through restoration from its original shape to maintain its whole construction through centuries.

Upon arrival, guests should find the two entrances either one from the south or the north. Just around the temple, there is a small forest that is filled with monkeys believed as the guardians of Uluwatu Temple. There will be precautionary signs to remind guests of the monkeys habit to grab onto things, thus visitors should be very mindful of their belongings while in there.

What people catch for is not only the beautiful view and temples itself but the famous Balinese Kecak Dance scheduled daily at the amphitheater that also faces the sea. This is why visitors are advised to come right before the sun sets, around 6pm, to watch Kecak and beautiful sunset at the same time. To enter the temple, do not forget that you should wear a sarong and a sash, it is there to be rent at the temple’s entrance.

While you are at the south, you might want to look at other attractions such as the beautiful beaches or the famous Garuda Wisnu Kencana. It is usually included if you are taking a tour package to the southern corner of Bali. You can either plan it up to your own or have it easier by taking tour service, especially when you are far from the area.

Let’s say you prefer to stay in Ubud that is about 2 hours away from Uluwatu. A luxury 4-star resort in Ubud, The Udaya Resorts & Spa, offers tour service around Bali for their guests who wish to see more about what Bali has to showcase. There is South Bali Tour that already includes Uluwatu Temple, Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, batik weaving in Tohpati Village, and dinner at Kedonganan Beach. Then you should be happy that your needs are all covered in just one tour package. We hope you will love Uluwatu Temple as much as we do. Happy traveling!