Description of the attraction
The Goa Lawah Temple is located at the entrance to the Goa Lawah Cave. Goa Lavah 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 generous 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. There are a large number of temples on the Bali island - 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 XI century, and the founder of the temple is Mpu Kutaran, a priest who brought Buddhism to the island. The Indonesian government 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 stone, 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.
