The place I got a chance to visit yesterday, dated October 14, 2024, I consider to be one of the most beautiful places in the world that I have ever seen: Uluwatu Temple in Bali, Indonesia. The best part of the visit was sunset and saw how the sky turned into a sea of red and orange colors to say the least of it.
Uluwatu Temple or in Balinese ‘Pura Luhur Uluwatu’ is one of the six main temples on the island of Bali that hold confidence ranking and one step below Besakih Temple. This is one of the most famous temples in bali for tourism because it stands on the cliff facing the sea which is on the south western part of Bali. Its construction has a rather plain appearance built up from white and grey blocks of the petrified coral; which gives it a spiritual look. As a temple which worships the sea spirits, Uluwatu is a famous object for worship and most hundreds of tourist and pilgrims visit this place daily.
There is a walking trail beside the cliff, which leads to the temple; this area naturally offers impressive views of the whole area and is beautiful when viewed at sunset. The best thing that I hadn’t seen is when the Sun sets and disappears into horizon with waves breaking against the sea-cliff.
The temple also houses many naughty monkeys who are attractive for tourists. These are famous for playfully stealing sunglasses, cameras and other personal effects from the tourists. But if you are fortunate enough and you carry along with you something like nuts or bananas, they will return your stolen items for this What you should know is that nuts or bananas can prevent theft because thieves give back their stolen items in exchange for these yummy foods!
But perhaps the most fascinating atrraction I was privy to, was the Kecak dance, a Balinese troup show, which has been an eye opener to visitors and tourists, since the 1930s. The following dance is staged and created by Walter Spies; it showcases some of the Balinese iconic customs combined by Ramayana act. Its male chorus, which chanted with the rhythm of the music, and the dancers who appear to be under a spell certainly remains breathtaking. It is perhaps befitting to axe the curtain when some of the dancers even take time to walk on fire as the evening draws to a close.
Whether you visit Bali for religious purpose, tourism, or appreciation of its heritage or landscape, a must visit place is the Uluwatu Temple. The sunset is superb and if you are patient enough to sit through the Kecak dance, it’s well worth the trip.
Mr. Muhammad Ali Pasha is an analyst and expert on Central Asia, South East Asia, China, Türkiye and Middle East having experience in the field of article writing in various renowned journals and newspapers across the globe. Furthermore, he is a writer and poet.
