The temple management provides a comfortable resting place for whosoever passes along the road the temple watches over. While taking a rest there, one can simply enjoy the peaceful black stone temple, the ocean waves crashing on the pretty black stones of the beach and a boat statue made from a large stone. The temple also has a vast parking lot hosting the ubiquitous small food stalls that sell rujak (tropical spicy fruit salad), cold drinks and meatballs. Clean toilets are also available.
In the temple’s courtyard, visitors can make their prayers and have their faces sprinkled with holy water. A donation box is next to the worship table for those who wish to donate some 1,000 or 5,000 Rp.
Pura Ponjok Batu possesses an interesting history. The temple was built to honor a Siwa Sidanta priest by the name Danghyang Nirartha (Ida Pedanda Sakti Wawu Rawuh), who lived during the reign of Dalem Waturenggong in the 15th century. The locals honored the priest by turning all his hermitages into sacred temples. The priest helped a fisherman from Lombok island when the fisherman’s boat sank at Ponjok Batu each. The fisherman found a shining stone, which was then carved into a boat statue and now stands at the southeast side of the temple.
The external and middle parts of the temple are accessible to visitors wearing the proper attire and not for people grieving or menstruating women. The madya mandala (middle part) has a bale pegat (open air pavilion) surrounded by a beautiful pool. The hall is regarded as a transition space for those who wish to practice worshiping in the central part of the temple. In total, there are eight halls and 10 pelinggih (shrines) to worship the gods.
As folklore goes, the temple’s name, Ponjok Batu, was bestowed by Ida Batara, who believed that more stones should be placed in the eastern part of north Bali to balance the weight of the whole north Bali region.
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