Goa Gajah

 

The origin of the cave is uncertain. One tales relates that it was created by the fingernail of the legendary giant Kebo Iwa. It probably dates back to the 11th century at the time of the Majapahit takeover of Bali. The cave was rediscovered by Dutch archaeologist in 1923. The fountains and bathing pool were unearthed in 1954. The cave is carved into a rock face and you enter through cavernous mouth of a demon. Inside the T-shaped cave you can see fragmentary remains of lingam, the phallic symbol of the Hindu god Siva, and its female counterpart the yoni, plus a statue of the elephant-headed god Ganesha. In the courtyard in front of the cave are two square bathing pools with water gushing into them from waterspouts held by six female figures. To the left of the cave entrance is a statue of Hariti, surrounded by children. In Buddhist lore, Hariti was an evil woman who devoured children, but under the influence of Buddhism she reformed to be a protector of children and a symbol of fertility. To the south of the cave complex there are crumbling rock carvings of stupas (domes for housing Buddhist relics) on a cliff face, and a small cave.

 

Archaeological Museum

 

Includes a collection of pre-Hindu artifacts, including stone sarcophagus from the time before cremations were practiced on Bali. Here you’ll find a lot of sarcophagi. The burial system suggests the existence of a stratified society, people buried in sarcophagi probably being of higher status. This museum devoted to Balinese antiquities is on the right hand side of the main road about a mile north of Bedulu. Well-housed but poorly displayed are many fragments from Bali’s last 400,000 years of human endeavor. The collection ranges from simple platonic stone tools and blades, through the pre-Hindu Buddhism and beyond. Of special interest are large Bronze Age sarcophagi that have been excavated from many locations on the island. Each of these would usually contain a single dead person, along with his or her jewelry, a pig or dog, and miniature symbolic bronze tools. They come in almost as great a variety of shapes and sizes as there have been samples found (about sixty to date). Many have knobs, probably to tie the two halves together, some carved into human or turtle-like heads.

 

Pura Penataran Sasih

 

Was once the state temple of the Pejeng kingdom. There is a huge bronze drum known as the Moon of Pejeng. It’s the largest single –piece drum cast in the world. Estimates of age vary from1000 to 2000 years, not certain who made it. A Balinese legend relates how the drum came to earth as a fallen moon, landing in a tree and shining so brightly that it prevented a band of thieves from going about their unlawful purpose. One of the thieves decided to put the light out by urinating on it but the moon exploded, killed the thief, and fell to earth as a drum- with a crack across its base as a result of the fall The Balinese believe the drum was the wheel from the chariot of the goddess of the moon and that it fell into a tree. A thief whose nocturnal activities were curtailed by the drum brilliance decided to dim it by urinating on it. The thief died instantly. And the “moon of Pejeng” was cracked and lost its glow. It is now enshrined on its side in one of the temples’ tallest pavilion . The drum may date from 300 BC. In 1875 the drum’s first known Western visitor disrespectfully beat it with a stick to check its tone. The next day he fell seriously ill, but eventually recovered. Subsequent visitor were kept at distance u7ntil, in 1906, the more sensitive wandering artist W.O.J Nieuwenkamp was allowed to examine the drum, and made meticulous measurements and sketches (above).

 

Gunung Kawi Temple.

 

Consists of 10 rock-cut candi, cut into the rock face. Each candi is believed to be a memorial to a member of the 11 century Balinese royalty. There are four on the west side of the river and five on the east side. Each of the sets of memorials has a group of monks’ cells associated with it. Legend relates that the group of memorials was carved out of the rock face in one hard working night by the mighty fingernails of Kebo Iwa. It’s uncertain who the real builders were but they may date back from the Udayana dynasty of the `0th ande 11th centuries. It’s said that the five monuments on the eastern bank are to King Udayana, queen Mahendradata, their son Airlangga and his brothers Anak Wungsu and Marakata. While Airlangga ruled eastern Java, Anak Wungsu ruled Bali. The four monuments on the west side are to Anak Wungsu’s chief concubines. Another theory is that the whole complex is dedicated to Anak Wungsu, his wives, concubines and to royal minister.

 

KINTAMANI ( LAKE Batur )

 

Kintamani is a little town which has very nice view of mount and Lake Batur, and also there are many restaurant around the crater rim Penelokan village. Batur at glance, the village of batur used to be down in the crater after eruption in 1917 that killed thousand of people and destroy more than 60.000 houses and 2000 temples.In 1926 it erupted again, so the village and Ulun Danu temple were moved up to the crater rim.

 

Tirta Empul

 

The name Tirta Empul is derives from the large spring in the centre of the temple. “ Tirta “ means holy water and “ Empul “ means spring so Tirta Empul is holy water spring. The temple was built around 960 AD during the rule of Candra bayasinga king from the Warmadewa dynasty. It is divided into three main courtyards those are : the front yard, the middle yard and the inner sanctum. At the outer courtyard can be found two rectangular pools, each fed by a line of some fountains that stretching from the east to the west and facing to the south. Each fountain has its own name and function. According to tradition there is a fountain for spiritual purification, another for cleansing from evils, another supposed to be an antidote for poison. The Pancoran cetik or fountain for poison is connected to the mythological battle between Mayadinawa king, he is a king of Batu anyar Bedaulu and Bhatara Indra. In the ancient tale the Mayadinawa king was such a tyrant, he forbade the people to carry out their religions to request the blessing of God, the God heard a bout this tyranny and lead by Indra, they attacked Mayadinawa, in the end he lost the battle and run a way to hide in the forest to the north of the village of Tampak siring. With his magic powers, he created a spring of poison which caused many death among Indra’s troops who drank from the spring. In fury Bhatara Indra drove his spear into the ground at the point where the spring was bubbling up, then his holy water was used to splash upon the afflicted troops and revive them from the grasps of death.