Uluwatu Temple ( ban, Pura (Luhur) Uluwatu) is a Balinese Hindu sea temple (''Pura Segara'') located in

Uluwatu Uluwatu is a region on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula of Bali, Indonesia. It is home to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple. The name Uluwatu comes from ''ulu'', meaning 'lands end', and ''watu'', meaning 'rock'. Geography Visible ...

(

South Kuta South Kuta (Indonesian: ''Kuta Selatan'') is a district (''kecamatan'') within Badung Regency of Bali. It consists of Nusa Dua, a large peninsula projecting south from Bali island. It covers 101.13 km2 and had a population of 116,143 peopl ...

Badung Badung is a regency of Bali, Indonesia. Its regency seat is in the upland town of Mangupura. It covers districts to the west of the provincial capital of Denpasar, and it has a land area of 418.52 km2. The regency had a population of 548 ...

). The temple is regarded as one of the '' sad kahyangan'' and is dedicated to

Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa Acintya (from Sanskrit: अचिन्त्य, "the inconceivable", "the unimaginable"), also known as Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa ( Balinese: "The Divine Order") and Sang Hyang Tunggal ("The Divine Oneness"), is the Supreme God of Indonesian Hin ...

in his manifestation as

Rudra Rudra (; sa, रुद्र) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the Rigveda, Rudra is praised as the 'mightiest of the mighty'. Rud ...

History and etymology

The temple (''pura'' in Balinese) is built at the edge (''ulu'') of a cliff or rock (''watu'') projecting into the sea. In folklore, this rock is said to be part of

Dewi Danu Dewi Danu is the water goddess of the Balinese Hindus, who call their belief-system Agama Tirta, or ''belief-system of the water''. She is one of two supreme deities in the Balinese tradition. See also *Danu (Asura) External links *''Ulun Danu ...

's petrified barque. Though a small temple was claimed to have existed earlier, the structure was significantly expanded by a Javanese sage, Empu Kuturan in the 11th Century. Another sage from East Java,

Dang Hyang Nirartha Danghyang Nirartha, also known as Pedanda Shakti Wawu Rauh, was a Shaivite religious figure in Bali and a Hindu traveler during the 16th century. He was the founder of the Shaivite priesthood in Bali.Pringle, p 65 Early life Nirartha came to B ...

is credited for constructing the padmasana shrines and it is said that he attained

moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...

here, an event called ''ngeluhur'' ("to go up") locally. This has resulted in the temple's epithet ''Luhur''.

Monkeys

The temple is inhabited by monkeys (''

Macaca fascicularis The crab-eating macaque (''Macaca fascicularis''), also known as the long-tailed macaque and referred to as the cynomolgus monkey in laboratories, is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. A species of macaque, the crab-eating macaqu ...

''), who are notorious for snatching visitors' belongings, such as flip-flops, cameras, and sunglasses. They can usually be persuaded into ransoming the items for fruit, nuts, or candies, although this only encourages them to steal more. Scientist and experts on primate behavior have conducted studies on the Macaque monkeys in the area and have collected data suggesting that they learn bartering behavior. This trade is passed down to the young offspring. New groups of Macaque monkeys introduced into the area quickly adapt and learn the new skill from the locals.

Kecak Dance performance

Kecak ''Kecak'' (pronounced ("kechak"), alternate spellings: ''kechak'' and ''ketjak''), known in Indonesian as ''tari kecakilolahhe'', is a form of Balinese Hindu dance and music drama that was developed in the 1930s in Bali, Indonesia. Since its ...

dance performance based on the

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

is performed daily in Uluwatu temple at every 6pm on the cliff-side. The performance which is outdoors also shows the beautiful sunset at the background of the performance.

References

External links

11th-century Hindu temples Balinese sea temples Hindu temples in Indonesia Cultural Properties of Indonesia in Bali {{Hindu-temple-stub

History and etymology

Monkeys

Kecak Dance performance

References

Further reading

External links