Lingsar Temple

Pura Lingsar is a temple complex in Lombok Island’s village of Lingsar.

Lingsar means “clear revelation from God,” in the local Sasak tribe’s language. “Pura,” meanwhile, comes from a Sanskrit word for "walled city" or "palace.” (It’s a word you’ll see all over Indonesia in connection to temples.)

Pura Lingsar dates back to 1714 and the grounds include a couple ponds and a spring, all of which are considered sacred to the Sasak tribe.

On our way in, we noticed locals fishing. Later, we visited another pond where sacred eels dwell. If you see one of the eels, it means your wish will be granted. (Apparently, vendors sometimes sell hard boiled that you can use to coax the eels out with, but there were none around during our visit.)

We did, however, pay a visit to Pura Lingsar’s artesian well, which our guide called the fountain of youth. Splashing water on ourselves was certainly a much needed cool off.

After this refreshment, our guide instructed us to say thank you to our mothers. “You must be thankful to momma because you would not be here without her.”

He also explained what the different colored cloths symbolize. Black and white checkered cloth stands for the balance between mankind’s dark and light forces, for instance.

Pura Lingsar is multi-denominational temple, with areas for Balinese Hindus as well as followers of Lombok’s syncretic religion of Wektu Telu, which combines Islam with the Sasak tribe’s ancient animism.

Local street vendors chased us from the parking lot to the shrine entrance, which made it hard to listen to our guide at times, but we figured that was all part of the experience here.

With 490 tribes, and just as many languages and dialects, the cultural mix of Indonesia has my head spinning.
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