Goa Lawah

Pura Goa Lawah, Bat Cave Temple, lies just three km northeast of Kusamba Harbor and nine km east of Klungkung on the left side of dramatic road paralleling the sea with uninterrupted views of sea and Nusa Penida. As its name suggests Pura Gua Lawah houses a holy cave begins at the foot of rocky cliff and is said to extend all the way to the base of Mount Agung.Oral tradition says the cave leads to Pura Goa (cave temple) within the Besakih temple complex some 30 km away. A tale is told how a prince of Mengwi actually entered the sacred cave to prove that he was the rightful descendent of Mengwi king, and emerged at Besakih, but his feat was never duplicated – entering the cave is now forbidden.The ceiling is alive with thousands of fluttering, squawking, vibrating, long nose fruit bats. The wheeling, squealing bats are drawn again and again into the deep and dusky cavern; the noise is deafening but the sight is awesome. A thick layer of slippery, sickly sweet bat droppings carpets the cave floor, through which bat-gorged pythons ooze in a state of surfeit. Lizards are crawling free in this cave and temple completely ignored by the passing pilgrims and visitors.Pursuant to the papyrus of Dwi Jendra Tattwa, the Gua Lawah's name is Gua Lelawah, the name which is given by Danghyang Nirartha (a priest overspread the Hindu teaching in Bali) when he stop in this place on his Tirtha Yatra trips. He arrive at a cave which is a lot of bats hang on and its unbroken voice clamor as hymn to add the beauty of the cave. Therefore this cave is named by Gua Lawah/Bat Cave. On the above cave is growth by the flower trees with it's smelt fragrance and stimulus the peace mind of Danghyang Nirartha, so that he overnight stay for some nights in this place. From the cave we see also the beautiful coast with the blue ocean with Nusa Penida Island as a backdrop.