Pura Tanah Lot temple is built on a rock in the sea

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Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali

It`s home to the pilgrimage temple Pura Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot means "Land in the Sea"

Tanah Lot is located in Tabanan, about 20 kilometres from Denpasar

The temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped

continuously over the years by the ocean tide

Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 16th-century Dang Hyang Nirartha

During his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island's

beautiful setting and rested there

Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts and Nirartha then

spent the night on the little island

Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock, for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods

The Tanah Lot temple was built and has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries

The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast

In addition to Balinese mythology, the temple was significantly influenced by Hinduism

At the base of the rocky island, venomous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders

The temple is purportedly protected by a giant snake, which was created from

Nirartha's selendang when he established the island

In 1980, the temple's rock face was starting to crumble and the area around and inside the temple started to become dangerous

The Japanese government then provided a loan to the Indonesian government of Rp 800 billion (approximately US$130 million) to conserve the historic temple and

other significant locations around Bali

As a result, over one third of Tanah Lot's "rock" is actually cleverly disguised artificial rock created during the Japanese-funded and supervised renovation and stabilization program

The area leading to Tanah Lot is highly commercialized and people

are required to pay to enter the area

To reach the temple, visitors must walk through a set of Balinese market-format souvenir shops which cover each side of the path down to the sea

On the mainland clifftops, restaurants have also been provided for tourists.