Recently the whole world was shocked with claims that a Vishnu temple was found submerged under water in Bali. And that the temple was built 5000 years ago. It then later submerged due to volcano eruption and the rising of sea water. Many Indian and Hindu based organisations and individuals start making videos and claims about this without any evidence at all.
So how true is this Submerged Vishnu Temple?
After a thorough online research, one will understand that this claim is actually a hoax. The “temple” was actually constructed recently as part of an artificial reef creation project. Coral and other sea life can anchor onto vertical structures placed on the sea floor, creating important marine habitat.
The temple or more precisely a "Garden" was built in 2005 in Bali to act as stimulus for coral breeding and also as tourist attraction.
It was not built 5000 years ago as claimed and definitely not a theme park as claimed by some foreign medias.
Sea Rovers Dive Center has constructed several artificial reefs with funding from the Australian Agency for International Development. They named the site temple “Taman Pura” or temple garden. This is perhaps the most interesting man-made reef to dive on in the area.
The place is known as Underwater Temple Garden, is located Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia also houses the statues of Buddha, Laxmi, Saraswati under its waters. Despite being the largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesians love respect their ancient beliefs and make sure the belief system of their ancestors lives on. There are so many ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples found in Indonesia every year but this is not one of them.
The initial project was created 29 meters below the ocean surface. This it just slightly below the limits of recreational diving depths, but close enough to descend for a good look. A second site at only 15 meters has been created nearby so that less experienced divers can enjoy the amazing experience of diving to view ancient-looking Hindu and Buddhist statues. The first site has around a dozen large stone statues sitting on the ocean floor and a 4 meter tall temple gateway. You can see more statues at the second site.
In addition to Taman Pura, there are many other dive sites in the clear blue waters off the coast of Bali. Pulau Menjangan, Amed, and Padangbai all have shallow dive sites that are suitable for beginners. Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Candidasa’s dive sites are generally deeper or have more current, making them more suitable for experienced divers.
This site is a definite "MUST VISIT" site that one should never miss when visiting Bali.
So how true is this Submerged Vishnu Temple?
After a thorough online research, one will understand that this claim is actually a hoax. The “temple” was actually constructed recently as part of an artificial reef creation project. Coral and other sea life can anchor onto vertical structures placed on the sea floor, creating important marine habitat.
The temple or more precisely a "Garden" was built in 2005 in Bali to act as stimulus for coral breeding and also as tourist attraction.
It was not built 5000 years ago as claimed and definitely not a theme park as claimed by some foreign medias.
Sea Rovers Dive Center has constructed several artificial reefs with funding from the Australian Agency for International Development. They named the site temple “Taman Pura” or temple garden. This is perhaps the most interesting man-made reef to dive on in the area.
The place is known as Underwater Temple Garden, is located Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia also houses the statues of Buddha, Laxmi, Saraswati under its waters. Despite being the largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesians love respect their ancient beliefs and make sure the belief system of their ancestors lives on. There are so many ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples found in Indonesia every year but this is not one of them.
The initial project was created 29 meters below the ocean surface. This it just slightly below the limits of recreational diving depths, but close enough to descend for a good look. A second site at only 15 meters has been created nearby so that less experienced divers can enjoy the amazing experience of diving to view ancient-looking Hindu and Buddhist statues. The first site has around a dozen large stone statues sitting on the ocean floor and a 4 meter tall temple gateway. You can see more statues at the second site.
In addition to Taman Pura, there are many other dive sites in the clear blue waters off the coast of Bali. Pulau Menjangan, Amed, and Padangbai all have shallow dive sites that are suitable for beginners. Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Candidasa’s dive sites are generally deeper or have more current, making them more suitable for experienced divers.
This site is a definite "MUST VISIT" site that one should never miss when visiting Bali.
