GOA LAWAH BAT TEMPLE
Pura Goa Lawah is a Balinese Hindu temple or a pura located in Klungkung, Bali, Indonesia. Pura Goa Lawah is often included among the Sad Kahyangan Jagad, or the "six sanctuaries of the world", the six holiest places of worship on Bali. It is one of Bali’s nine directional temples and is said to guard against evil spirits from the ocean. Thousands of bats hang from the ceiling of the cave. They sleep during the day, but it’s quite a sight to see them all bunched together hanging upside down. As night falls they get agitated then fly off to feed on insects, returning at dawn.
Statue on the coast road outside the temple.
Gardens leading to the cave
Gateway into the temple cave.
The bats can be seen as a dark arc to the left centre of the photo
Closer look at the bats
Bats galore!
We had to wait for quite a while before the first bats began to leave the cave.
Here you can just make out the bats flying above the shrine
Resting bats on the left, flying bats on the right
The gateway exit
Offerings eventually go in the bin.