Thousands of visitors flock to Lempuyang Temple in Karangasem each year, hoping to recreate photographs of them posing at the "Gates of Heaven" with their reflection captured in the water in front of the landmark -- which turns out to be fake. (iStock)
Tourists visiting a popular attraction in Bali were left shocked after discovering that it was faked for Instagram.
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Thousands of visitors flock to Lempuyang Temple in Karangasem each year, hoping to recreate photographs of them posing at the "Gates of Heaven" with their reflection captured in the water in front of the landmark.
But as it turns out, there isn't even a puddle at the Hindu temple, which is one of the most visited sites on the island.
Instead, the stunning photos of the reflection are actually created with the help of a mirror, cleverly positioned just beneath the lens when you take the photo.
The trick has left many visitors disappointed, some of whom have traveled for around two hours to visit the site.
Just recently, Polina Marinova, an editor at Fortune magazine, shared her disappointment in a viral tweet.
She wrote: "Proof that Instagram influencers have ruined everything.
"My hopes & dreams were shattered when I found out the 'water' at the Gates of Heaven is actually just a piece of glass under an iPhone."
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Her post sparked dozens of replies from travelers who said they had similar experiences.
One person wrote: "Let’s not forget about the 2-3 hour queue you have to stand in to even get a picture."
Another said: "This was me 2 weeks ago in Bali. I was like, wait, where is the water? Felt so catfished."
But many also found it hilarious and wanted to recreate it for themselves.
As it turns out, locals have been doing the staged photographs for some time and there are often queues of two hours or more.
Earlier this year, YouTuber Antarik Anwesan took a two-hour scooter journey from Ubud to the temple on the east of the island.
He joined a huge queue of tourists waiting to get his photo take in a traditional Balinese outfit.
At the temple, he waited almost two hours to get his shot, which was taken by a local sitting in front of the Gates of Heaven with the mirror perfectly in place.
Like other visitors, he was very impressed with the result having assumed that the reflection photographs were taken after rain.
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This isn't the only popular attraction that's turned out to be fake.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that a Moroccan tourist attraction where goats stood in trees was actually staged.
And there's also a whole host of attractions that were created from fictional stories.
This story originally appeared on The Sun. Read more content from The Sun here.
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