The famous holy bat cave at Goa Lowah is located on the southeast coast of Bali in Indonesia. It is said to be the terminus of an underground passageway leading to the famous Besikah temple up on Mt. Agung, the Balinese Olympus. The ceiling is alive with untold thousands of writhing, squeaking, and sometimes sleeping long nose fruit bats, many of which are tumbling over each other. A distinctly batty aroma exudes from the cave due to a coat of slimy bat droppings on the floor. Their noise is intense and continual.

In front of the cave are small shrines of a Shivaite temple guarding the cave's entrance. This site has been worshipped since around 1000 A.D., and was founded by an itinerant holy man.The cave and temple are both associated with the religious rites surrounding death. Goa Lawah is considered one of the nine great temples of Bali.

Locals believe the cave harbors an enormous, mythical, sacred serpent (Naga Basuki, the legendary dragon of Mt. Agung). This centuries old reptile is believed to be the caretaker of the earth's equilibrium (an animism belief). Bats that fall to the cave floor are thought to provide sustenance to the large snake. Homage is paid to this deity at the shrines.

The Goa Lawah cave is said to be deep, but entering the cave is now forbidden to all but the holy initiates. The shrine's caretakers claim the cave is indeed inhabited by pythons who gorge themselves on the plentiful bats.