Bali’s Tanah Lot Temple is one of the most famous landmarks in the province. As one of the few sea temples in Bali, Tanah Lot holds huge spiritual significance for Balinese Hindus.
Due to its incredible location, it is also at the mercy of the elements, and vital restoration works are underway.
The restoration work will be carried out in phases over the course of 2025 and into 2026, with some of the work already started in 2024. The Assistant Manager of the Tanah Lot Tourist Attraction and the Head of the Temple, I Putu Toni Wirawan, explained that much of the restoration work has been timed around preparations for the Pemlaspas Karya Memungkah Ceremony which will take place in 2027.
He told reporters that the first phase of restoration had been completed, covering passenger, payasam, and sakanem, and the second phase is planned to begin in 2025. The passenger is the boundary wall of the temple complex, the Nissan is the open-sided pavilion structures that sit within the temple complex, and the sakanem is the smallest of the shrines within a Balinese Hindu temple.
The second phase of the restoration process will require total reconstruction in parts. An external contractor will complete this work. It will require the dismantling of the current palinggih, the main shrine of the temple complex, and the installation of a new palinggih that has been masterfully created off-site. Wirawan confirmed that the palinggih currently within Tanah Lot Temple will be maintained until its replacement is fully ready to be installed.
This is so as not to confuse visitors, especially foreign tourists who travel from all over the world to visit Tanah Lot Temple and its iconic pagoda.
Wirawan explained, “If we immediately dismantle the palinggih in the temple, visitors will definitely be confused and wonder which one is actually Tanah Lot Temple.”
“Many tourists, especially from abroad, know that the ‘pagoda’ is the palinggih-palinggih in Tanah Lot Temple. So, we make sure the new palinggih is fully ready before dismantling the existing palinggih.”
Tourists may see some of the restoration works being carried out during their visits to the temple in 2025. The restoration of the Pura Tanah Lot is planned to be completed in 2026, and it will be ready for the huge Pamlaspas and Karya Memungkah ceremonies in 2027.
Wirawan told reporters, “In 2027, we plan to carry out Karya Memungkah, if everything is done, meaning in the madya mandala, in the luhur, it is finished, then we will carry it out. If the development activities around Pura Luhur Tanah Lot are not yet clear, we cannot carry them out, but our target is that it will be completed in 2026.”
The Pamlaspas ceremony is the ritual that purifies and sanctifies a newly built sacred structure, such as the new palinggih or pagoda that will be installed later this year. The Karya Memungkah Ceremony is a temple consecration ceremony which will take place over the whole Tanah Lot Temple Complex; it will be a huge event.
Tanah Lot Temple is one of the most popular temples for tourists to visit in Bali. In 2024, the temple complex welcomed 1,793,821 tourist visits, which was an 11% increase in visitor numbers recorded in 2024.
As the rainy season lingers on in Bali and more bad weather is forecast every week, tourism managers are urging visitors to operate with caution and awareness when visiting Tanah Lot Temple.
Given its proximity to the ocean and forecasts for high and dangerous waves, leaders at Tanah Lot Temple are increasing security and safety measures.
In a statement, the Regent of Tabanan Komang Gede Sanjaya has asked all tourism attraction managers in the area to implement tight restrictions and increased tourist supervision as the most destructive monsoon season in recent history hits Bali.
Regent Sanjaya explained earlier this week, “In these bad weather conditions, I intend to communicate with the [tourism attraction] management in Tabanan to anticipate unwanted things that could disrupt the nature holiday in Bali, especially in Tabanan.”
Wirawan confirmed to reporters that teams at Tanah Lot Temple are working together to promote public safety.
He explained, “We involve staff, army, and police officers in supervising this attraction. When high waves reaching more than four meters occur in the coastal areas, the officers on duty will urge tourists not to carry out activities in the area.”
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