Temple of Goa Lawah (Pura Goa Lawah) description and photos - Indonesia: Bali Island (Topic)

Temple of Goa Lawah (Pura Goa Lawah) description and photos - Indonesia: Bali Island. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Pura Goa Lawah.

Photo and description

The Goa Lawah Temple is located at the entrance to the Goa Lawah Cave. Goa Lawah Cave, which means "cave of bats", is perhaps one of the most interesting places in Bali. Goa Lawah is a natural cave that is home to hundreds of thousands of bats. In the evening, when it gets dark, the monks bring to the cave entrance a lavish treat for bats, revered by the Balinese and considered sacred creatures.

In Indonesia, the word for "temple" sounds like "pura" and it is worth noting the fact that pura is mainly concentrated in Bali, where Hinduism is the dominant religion on the island. Bali has a large number of temples - approximately more than 10,000, and therefore the island of Bali is also called "the island of a thousand pura".

Mountain temple Goa Lavah is one of the nine most important temples that protect the island of Bali from evil spirits. Presumably, the temple was built in the 11th century, and the founder of the temple is Mpu Kutaran, a priest who brought Buddhism to the island. The government of Indonesia carefully monitors the condition of the temples, so Goa Lawah, like other temples, looks majestic and well-groomed. The sanctuary of the temple is made of black volcanic rock, the decoration is made of gold. Also inside you can see many sculptures that depict spirits. Balinese bats are considered mini-dragons, so a lot of dragon symbols are used in the architecture of the temple. Two large banyan trees grow at the central entrance.

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Topic: Temple of Goa Lawah (Pura Goa Lawah) description and photos - Indonesia: Bali Island.