The story of Pura Luhur

The temple sits on the edge of a cliff 70 metres high, and that is exactly what its name describes: ulu means edge and watu means rock. Pura Luhur Uluwatu, on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula, is the only Balinese sea temple that is also one of the nine directional temples. It is dedicated to Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in his manifestation as Rudra.

A small temple may have stood here earlier, but the Javanese sage Empu Kuturan expanded it in the 11th century. Around the turn of the 16th century, the sage Dang Hyang Nirartha introduced the padmasana shrines, and he is said to have attained moksha here, called ngeluhur, to go up, which gave the temple its epithet Luhur, height. Watch out for the long-tailed macaques: they snatch sunglasses, cameras and flip-flops and often trade them back for fruit.

Every day at 6pm, a Kecak dance based on the Ramayana is performed on the cliff side.