Rambut Siwi Temple is one of the big Hindu temples in Bali. This temple is located in Yeh Embang Kangin Village, Mendoyo District, Jembrana Regency. From Denpasar, you will need 2 hour drive, meanwhile from Negara it will need around 30 minutes to arrive in this temple. Rambut Siwi is absolutely amazing temple which is located on the edge of a cliff with vast and bluish Indian Ocean in front of it. The main temple is located on top of a cliff and surrounded by Indian Ocean panorama. Besides praying, the visitors can also enjoy the beautiful view of its surrounding. The peaceful ambience that you can feel in this place is perfect for refreshing our mind.
Around the Rambut Siwi Temple, there are other seven temples. The visitors who come to pray here are expected to follow the given praying order. First, the prayer must be done in Pesanggrahan Temple which is located on the side of Denpasar-Gilimanuk road. After that, the payer can be continued to Taman Temple located in the east of the entrance to Rambut Siwi Temple. Finish at Taman Temple, the visitors should go to Penataran Temple which is located in the east of Rambut Siwi Temple. Then, continued to Goa Tirta Temple, Melanting Temple, Gading Wani Temple, and Ratu Gede Dalem Ped Temple respectively. Every time visitors pray in Ratu Gede Dalem Ped Temple, they will get a tridatu bracelet (combination of red, white, and black threads bracelet). Finally, the last prayer will be done in Rambut Siwi Temple. Pujawali or main prayer is usually conducted once in six months, or in Balinese calendar every Buda Umanis Prangbakat. The main function of this temple is to worship Hyang Widhi (God) in His manifestation as the God of Farming.
Usually, people often mistakenly think that Pesanggrahan Temple which is located on the side of the Denpasar-Gilimanuk main road is Rambut Siwi Temple. Although Pesanggrahan Temple is still the member of Rambut Siwi Temple, the main temple is not there. If we are facing south from Pesanggrahan Temple, we will be able to see Rambut Siwi Temple with beautiful bluish ocean background. Pesanggrahan Temple is often visited by the travelers who is on their way to go to out from Bali Island through Gilimanuk Dock. On the way to Gilimanuk, after entering the region of Jembrana Regency, you will find a temple on the left side of the road. Here, you can see a lot of travelers stop their vehicles for a while to pray and ask for safety trip. This kind of tradition is also done by Balinese in other roadside temples like Goa Lawah and Pulaki Temple.
This temple has its own naming history so it is called Rambut Siwi. The history is highly related to the arrival of a holy priest named Dang Hyang Nirartha in Bali. It was said that when Dang Hyang Nirartha came to Bali from East Java, one of the temples that he visited was Rambut Siwi Temple. When he entered the temple, the guard of the temple forced Dang Hyang Nirartha to pray inside the temple. If not, he said that Dang Hyang Nirartha will be attacked by tigers. Because he was forced, Dang Hyang Nirartha do a meditation (yoga samadi) inside the temple. Not long after that, the building inside the temple suddenly collapsed. The guard was shocked and finally asked for apology from the holy priest. He begged Dang Hyang Nirartha to restore the temple so that they can use it for praying again. Dang Hyang Nirartha then undertook the request. After that, Dang Hyang Nirartha untied his hair and pulled a hair to be given to the guard. The holy priest asked the guard to put his hair in the pelinggih (holy building) and kesiwi means uphold or worshiped so that everybody is blessed. Since then, this temple is called Rambut Siwi.
If you want to visit this temple, you don’t need to hesitate. Besides the cost for visiting this temple is very cheap, you can enjoy the great panorama and atmosphere around there. It will be perfect if you visit this temple in the sunset. Because of its towering position on top of a cliff facing the ocean, you can observe the amazing panorama of sunset clearly. The view is actually quite similar to the view of Uluwatu Temple. However, Rambut Siwi Temple is far from crowd so that it will be very enjoyable to be visited. Of course, it can be a great alternative if you are bored by the bustle in Uluwatu Temple. Nonetheless, you have to travel more distance to enjoy the beauty and peace of Rambut Siwi Temple.