Pura Tanah Lot stands on a rocky islet roughly 300 metres offshore in the Tabanan regency, accessible on foot only at low tide. The temple's silhouette against the flaming colours of a Balinese sunset is one of the most reproduced images in all of Southeast Asia. Founded in the 16th century by the wandering Javanese Hindu priest Danghyang Nirartha, Tanah Lot is one of seven sea temples (Pura Segara) on Bali's southwestern coast. Each temple is positioned to be within sight of the next, forming a sacred chain that guards the island. Nirartha is said to have rested here on his spiritual journey around Bali, struck by the beauty of the offshore rock, and instructed local fishermen to build a place of worship in his honour. At high tide the temple rock is surrounded by the sea; during lower water levels the surrounding tidal pools are explored by visitors. Sacred sea snakes — believed to guard the temple — occasionally emerge from crevices in the rock. While non-Hindus may not enter the inner temple, the sweeping coastal panorama and the energy of evening ceremonies make Tanah Lot a genuinely moving experience.