All you need to know about visiting Pura Batu Bolong, Lombok
In Senggigi, Lombok, you’ll find a temple called Pura Batu Bolong.
This seafront temple is often mentioned on lists of things to do in Senggigi. However, when visiting myself, I couldn’t find a lot of information about how to visit (at least in English).
Therefore, following my trip, I have compiled this guide. Hopefully it will help you plan your own trip to the temple and give you an idea of what to expect.
About Pura Batu Bolong
Pura Batu Bolong is a Hindu temple close to Senggegi, a town in west Lombok.
Lombok itself is Bali’s less visited little sister. Although the island is only a couple of hours’ ferry ride from Bali and has an equally impressive range of attractions, many tourists choose to skip it. I guess if you only have a couple of weeks in Indonesia, it makes sense to stay on Bali.
My itinerary only allowed for a couple of days on Lombok, all of which I spent in Senggigi, so I can understand how people would end up skipping the island.
Senggigi itself is a town on the western coast of Lombok. It’s known for being a holiday resort of sorts, but don’t expect anything close to Bali. The town mainly consists of hotels with a scattering of restaurants catering to tourists. I didn’t connect with it.
When visiting the town, I visited Pura Batu Bolong. Its coastal location makes the temple easy to visit, and at 10 mins’ walk south of our hotel, getting there was a breeze.
Arriving at the temple
The temple is located at an outward point between two longer arching beaches. Its main entrance is located along the road, but it’s possible to access it from the beach too. There are paths connecting the road to the beach either side of the temple which is the easiest way to get up.
At the entrance to Pura Batu Bolong, you’ll need to sign in and pay a donation. We weren’t sure what to put in, so we gave 20,000 Rp ($1.20 / £1). Was this a bit stingy? Probably. There wasn’t any guidance, so we didn’t know what the expected fee was.
When we got signed in, we were given a sash to wear. I’m not sure what the purpose of this was; perhaps it was to confirm we were signed in, but otherwise I don’t know what use it would be.
We were also asked if we were menstruating. This is because some Hindu temples prohibit women entering them during their period. The reasons for this vary with some considering menstruation impure, and others quoting energy imbalances.
I can’t lie, I really don’t like this practice and find it out of touch with modern times. It was the only temple where we were asked about menstruation and it put me off a bit.
There was one other group of tourists present. But that was it.
First temple area
After this, we were free to explore the temple (within reason). We went through a gate and down some steps and into a wide area, which was similar in construction to a beachside promenade.
Now, I am not an expert in the design of Balinese temples, so I will just describe to you what I saw. In this area, there was a wide platform with thatched roofs, and a couple of shrines. Pura Batu Bolong is very much an active temple, so there were offerings throughout.
Pura Batu Bolong was not grand like the touristy temples on Bali. However, that was part of the beauty in it. There were a few people preparing for worship and leaving out offerings, but that was it. And with only one other group of tourists present, I felt like I was witnessing true practices, rather than something that had been put together for the purposes of tourism.
Main area of worship
When we walked to the other side of the main area, there were some steps leading upwards, to the side of the cliff. Shoes were left at the bottom, so we took ours off as well.
It was such a painful walk up as the steps were made of hot black stone. I’m not sure how everyone else does it!
Next to the steps you’ll see a hole in the rocks, from which the name of the temple is derived – “Batu Bolong” literally means “rock with hole”.
This area of the temple is understandably reserved for people here to worship, so we stopped at the top of the stairs and paused for a few minutes to take in the scene. Women and children were gathered in this area, setting out offerings at the foot of several shrines.
It looked like a beautiful place to worship, with the sea beyond and beach either side. It had a calming atmosphere which I imagine would be conducive to thoughtful prayer.
Climbing the hill
Once we had taken a look at the area on the south side of the temple, we headed back to the entrance, intending to leave. However, before we did, we spotted some stairs immediately after the main gate, which we had missed before. Our curiosity got the better of us, and we decided to head up.
There were perhaps around 30 steps which ascended onto a hill above the rest of the temple. This new area was entirely surrounded with trees and made us feel like we were in the canopy. Birds flew past us, and we could hear lots of tweeting.
There were several more shrines on the hill, as well as a covered area, which looked like it might be used for food preparation.
It felt very peaceful and like it would be a great place for quiet contemplation for worshippers. It was my favourite place in the temple.
After visiting this area, we headed down the steps and headed out of the temple, stopping to hand in our sash. Time for the beach!
Conclusion: Pura Batu Bolong
We enjoyed our visit to Pura Batu Bolong. As it’s a small temple, it doesn’t make sense to visit it if you’re staying far away from Senggigi, especially if you are already visiting Bali and its many Hindu temples.
However, if you’re staying in the town itself, a visit to the temple would make sense. It’s a nice insight into how a temple with low tourist numbers operates, and doesn’t take too long to visit, so you can slot it into any day of exploring. Just make sure to cover up!
I hope this guide helps you to decide whether to visit Pura Batu Bolong, and gives you an insight into how it works. Happy travels!
If you’re also visiting Bali, check out my guides to Ubud, Amed, Gili Trawangan and Gili Air
