Spirit Temple

The Spirit Temple, dedicated to the Goddess of Sand named Desert Colossus, lies far to the west, in the Gerudo Desert. It lies past the Gerudo Fortress, a complex controlled by the Gerudos, a race that consists of mostly women, with one exception every 100 years. Ganondorf is the exception this time around, and the Gerudo leader Nabooru dislikes him. The Gerudo don't trust men, and imprison both the carpenters and Link upon their arrival.

Upon the release of the carpenters, the Gerudos sense strength in Link and allow him access to their Fortress and training grounds.

Upon completion of their training ground, Link set foot into the Desert Wasteland, a stretch of desert that was harder to maneuver than the Lost Woods. Fortunately, Link found a poe guide during his travel through the desert with the aid of the Lens of Truth and found the Spirit Temple in the Desert Colossus.

There is a possibility that the Arbiter's Grounds from Twilight Princess could be in fact the Spirit Temple due to their similar themes, the presence of the Goddess of the Sand, and their identical locations at the far end of the desert.

Spirit Temple as a Child
Unfortunately, entrance was blocked by a large block and the only other way in was a small hole big enough only for a child. So, with the aid of Sheik and the Requiem of Spirit, Link entered the temple first as a child, on a side mission to help the Gerudo, Nabooru, find the treasure that lie within. Link did find the treasure, which was the Silver Gauntlets, a pair of gloves that allowed the wearer to gain extra strength. However, upon receiving the gauntlets, Link witnessed Nabooru sucked into a vortex by the twin witches, Koume and Kotake.

Spirit Temple as an Adult
Rushing back to the Master Sword, Link entered the temple as an adult, with the aid of the Silver Gauntlets. Donning the gloves allowed Link to move the massive block blocking him entrance. It was through his second run that he found the Mirror Shield, a shield that reflected light and any beams. This came in handy during his battle with the twin witches, when she became the giant Twinrova.

After Twinrova's defeat, Link found Nabooru in the Chamber of Sages. Her power as the Sage of Spirit was added and was finally enough to gain him access to Ganon's Castle.

Minor Enemies and Traps
Armos, Anubis, Gold Skulltula, Beamos, Lizalfos, Keese, Stalfos, Red Bubble, Wallmaster, Wolfos, Floormaster, Blue Bubble, flying pots, Blade Trap, Skullwalltula

Trivia

 * On the giant statue roughly in the middle of the Spirit Temple, if you aim the Longshot at one of the stars on it's chest, you will grapple on to it. However, you cannot grapple any other part of the statue besides the gate hidden inside its face.