Bat Temple in Bali Indonesia is considered as one of the most sacred and attractive destination here to tourists. Located in eastern of famous island Bali, coming here, you will be admired one of the most unique temples in the world. That is Goa Lawah, or bat temple, where the cave is also the home to thousands of bats.
The bats here are so much so they must to hold tightly each other, lean to the wall and when in the immobile status, they look no different from the statues sculpted from mud. This strange phenomenon is considered as sacred by the people in the area and hence a temple was erected to protect the entrance of the cave.
According to rumors, this cave leads to an underground river and connects to the temple Pura Goa, 30 km from this place, where the 9-head snake Naga in Hindu legend lurks. The people also said that this snake still alive thanks eating bats in the cave. However, no one dared to discover this cave to examine whether Naga really lives in the end of the bat cave or not.
Goa Lawah name is named after a monk, who did the pilgrimage to Bali to preach. In his journey, he found this sacred cave. Legend has said that Goa Lawah was seduced by the scent of flowers in the cave and purified the soul, so he decided to stop here within few days to meditate.
The temple is also built to worship god Maheswara, an important deity of Hinduism. Because of such sacred character, every day, this place takes place the important rituals and parades.
Two major festivals in Goa Lawah are rituals Piodalan and Ngusaba. In this occasion, Hindus in Bali come here to pray, hope to attain peace for the soul. The time when the Hindus in white suit aggregating in front of the cave is one of the leading events attracting tourists in Bali.
In a photographing challenge of America's Next Top Model season 20th, the contestants had to take a photo with the bats here. Ordeal is somewhat frightening with the models but clearly, makes the name of the bat temple in Bali Indonesia is more popular throughout the world
