File:Goa Lawah Temple (16438456403).jpg

English: Being an extraordinary phenomenon, Goa Lawah is considered holy. A temple with shrines protects the entrance. The cave is said to extend all the way back to Besakih, and may continue to an underground river that comes up, it is said, at Pura Goa (Cave temple) within the Besakih complex - a temple associated with the mythological naga or serpent Basuki which is also honored at Pura Goa Lawah, where a snake is supposed to live, feeding on bats.

Further explanation, Pura Goa Lawah (the Bat Cave Temple) is one of the island's nine special Sad Kahyangan Temples, and as such it is the designated holy place to honour the God Maheswara who resides in this section of the island. Religious processions visit the temple every day, and it is a particular focus for religious rites associated with death. Goa Lawah Temple located along the coast of southeastern Bali just west of Candidasa. The center of the temple is built around a cave filled with thousands of bat that make the roof of the cave their homes. Its entrances are guarded by a temple believed to be found by a sage nine centuries ago.

The Goa Lawah temple is situated on a slight embankment and the name is derived from the thousands bats that are living at the ceiling and walls of the cave.The cave is also said to lead all the way to Pura Goa in Besakih, some 30 km away, but nobody in recent times has volunteered to confirm this since the fruit bats provide sustenance for the legendary giant snake, Naga Basuki, which is also believed to live in the cave. This ancient reptile is believed to be the caretaker of the earth's equilibrium, a belief which stems from pre-Hindu animism [bali-individually.com]

A Pura is a Balinese Hindu temple.[1] and the place of worship for the adherents of Balinese Hinduism in Indonesia. Puras are built in accordance to rules, style, guidance and rituals found in Balinese architecture. Most of the puras are found on the island of Bali, as Hinduism is the predominant religion in the island; however many puras exist in other parts of Indonesia where there are significant numbers of Balinese people. Mother Temple of Besakih is the most important, the largest and holiest temple in Bali. A large number of puras have been built in Bali, leading it to gain the nickname "the Island of a Thousand Puras" [Wikipedia.org]