The Goa Lawa Temple is located in Klugkung, east of Bali Island, 30 minutes from Candidasa. On the north side of the main road Jalan Raya Goa Lawa on Goa Lawa beach, is considered one of the oldest temples in Bali. Dates from the 12th century and is included in the list of the «six sanctuaries of the world» the 6 most sacred places of Bali, destined to maintain the spiritual balance of the island.
What to see in the Goa Lawah Temple – The bat cave
The complex is divided into 3 areas: Outer Sanctuary, Inner Sanctuary and Middle Sanctuary. The entrance to the complex is marked by a «Candi Bentar» gate, inside the first courtyard is the outer sanctuary, which has 3 pavilions located at the 3 corners of the complex.
Three «Paduraska» portals mark the entrance to the inner sanctuary
This is composed of 3 «Meru Towers» . Several smaller shrines are arranged around a cave and the entrance is marked by «Candi Bentar» Gates.another shrine is decorated with Naga Basuki motifs, considered as the dragon that keeps the balance of the cosmos.
When should one go to this temple?
According to the Balinese tradition, the faithful must come to this temple 30 days after the cremation of a loved one, to finish the ceremony of the reincarnation. This ritual is called Nyegara Gunung.
The most relevant thing about this temple for the tourist is that its inner sanctuary is built around a cave that is totally full of bats and one of the attractions is to see them all flying out at 6 pm.
How long is this cave?
It is said that the cave is 30 km long and that it is connected to the Besakih Temple. Although you can always avoid passing by this area and see the pavilions and the statues found in their other Sanctuaries.
For other people, visiting this Temple with its thousands of bats and hundreds of faithful, has been an unforgettable experience that they widely recommend, saying that even have observed a python snake stalking the bats!