LOMBOK TOURISM

Meru Temple is holding the predicate as the biggest temple in Lombok Island. The building is having quite a unique temple architecture, which is a Meru with storied roof. Based on the history, the temple was built in 18th century by 33 villages in Lombok. Even though most of the Lombok communities are Moslem, but you can still find some ancient Javanese-Hinduism heritages that are located in the main street of Cakranegara city, across the Mayura Park. It is very easy to recognize this LOMBOK TEMPLE From the main road, you will find three meru that have leveled roof with from black straw.

Meru temple is the most popular and the biggest scared place for Hindu people in LOMBOK ISLAND The temple was built in 1720 by Anak Agung Made Karangasem. The place was built to unite some small palaces that were used as a negotiation place and a place to give statements to the criminals. Overtime, not only the temple be comes a sacred place for Hindu people, but also as one of the most popular attraction places. Just like the OTHER TEMPLE this temple is divided into three main yards (Nista Mandala, Madya Mandala and Utama Mandala) Two yards are added to support the existence of the temples. Every yard is divided by brick wall that has two wooden doors with Balinese engrave.

From the three parts of the temple, the most sacred temple is Utama Mandala. This is the part where the Hindu people do their prayer. Inside, you will find 33 white sanggah. Sanggah are the symbol of 33 villages that participated to help Anak Agung Made Karangasem to build the villages. You can also find three merus rise to the sky. If you see carefully, you will find one meru has 11 stories and two meru with nine stories. The meru symbolize the major gods in Hindu religion: Brahma god (The Creator), Wisnu god (The Custodian), Siwa (The Fuser). Not only that, you can also find sekepat (a kind of gazebo with four pillars) that is usually used as Ida Pedande to lead a ceremony. In front of the sekepat, you will find sake ulu (gazebo with eight pillars) that is used as ritual offering and banten place in every religious ceremony.

In the middle of Madya Mandala, you will find two stories gazebo. The building is used for negotiation. On the front part of the temple, Nista Mandala, you will find a yard without gazebo. When there is a ceremony, the place is used as a place for entertainment like traditional dance.

If you have satisfied with the temple architecture and felt the religious atmosphere of the temple, you can continue you travel into the souvenir stores in Cakranegara Market. The shopping area is located on the west side of Meru temple. On the other side, if you want a peaceful atmosphere, you can have your relax time in Mayura Park. You just need to cross the street in front of Meru temple and you are in Mayura Park.

There are plenty of beautiful places you can visit if you want to watch the beauty of sunset in Lombok. However, Malimbu Hill should be your major consideration because the hill will give you a special view that you cannot find in other places. It can be said as the best place to watch sunset. Malimbu Hill is located about 24 km from Mataram downtown or about 10 km from the north-side of SENGGIGI BEACH. The road to reach the area is quite challenging. If you are using a private car, it takes about 45 minutes to reach the area from Mataram.

What makes Malimbu Hill the best place to watch sunset when you’re in Lombok holidays When the sky is clear, you can enjoy the sunset and at the same time, you can see GILI TRAWANGAN  and GILI MENO, two of the three most popular Gili in LOMBOK. It is also possible to see Mount Agung at Bali island from distance. It is like combining sunset in Lombok with some of the most beautiful places on earth. Malimbu Hill is often made as a rendezvous place for some community like biking community because nothing worth than the view from Malimbu Hill after the challenging biking. For the motorcycle riders, the place can be the best resting spot before they continue their riding. You can choose two spots to watch sunset from Malimbu Hill: from the west or east side of the street. On the east side, you can find a rest area that stretches about 150meter with about 2 meters wide leveled sidewalk. There, you will see the sunset from the 25 meter cliff, but you don’t have to worry about your safety because you are protected by a strong guard rail. The cliff is filled with shrubs and you can see some monkeys that are looking for a small treat from the visitors. The south-side area is used for a parking lot, while the center to the North is used to watch the sunset.

You can also watch the sunset from the east-side or Malimbu Hill. There is a wasteland about 6 meters higher from the road. There is also about 6 x 4 meter resting area. To reach the place, you have to climb a cemented stairs that is usually used as a parking lot. Many foods and souvenirs sellers are ready in those areas since 4pm, so you can enjoy some traditional snacks or coconut before the sunset comes. Some souvenirs made from pearls are also available. You can also take a picture with the background you want like Malimbu Beach or the hill, GILI TRAWANGAN, GILI MENO or the sunset. Malimbu Hill is a perfect place to end your LOMBOK ADVENTURE in a day. After you visit some places near Malimbu Hill like GILI TRAWANGAN, GILI MENO and GILI AIR, watching the sun going down on Malimbu Hill is the perfect climax. You will pass this hill if you want to visit those three places from Mataram anyway, so you just need to adjust the time, so you can get there by 4 or 5 PM. Not only can you watch the beautiful sunset from Malimbu Hills, but also Serumbu Hills about 8 km to Mataram.