Anju Ade
Location- The famous Goa Gajah temple in bali is situated just minutes away from central ubud is situated just minutes away from central ubud in central bali, Indonesia.
Local name– Goa Gajah
Entrance fee– 50000 IDR for Adults (3.35$)
– 25000 IDR for Children (1.68$)
Transportation– renting a bike
Time required to explore the temple– less than 20 minutes
Vehicle parking– free
History– Dating back to 9th and 11 th century various structures inside the temple reveal hindu influences. Dating back to the 11th century and some relics featuring elements of buddhism. Elephant cave having wild-eyed demon mouth that serves as a front door also known as hell mouth.one of the oldest temples in bali.a fleet of stairs take you to the main courtyard, with a huge bathing pool in the center and a cave behind it. This place is meant to be for spiritual meditation as the exact origin was uncertain. Structures inside the temple influences both hindu and buddhism. The cave contains lingum and yoni which is symbol of hindu load Shiva and murti of load Ganesha.
by the river there are stupas and chattra reflects the bhuddism. In 1923 cave was rediscovered by dutch archaeologists.
Shopping– The road outside and parking area just before the main entrance is lined with various handicrafts and sovenir shops. with a few refreshment counters.
Instructions- 1. Women during menstruation are strictly forbidden to enter the temple.
2. Dress decently before entering the temple premises.
3. sarong is mandatory (one needs to completely cover up with the sarong before entering the temple if you are not carrying with you no worry this is available at rent in the entrance itself).
Special features–
1. the rock wall carvings at the cave entrance – the Goa Gajah temple is characterized by terrifying faces carved into this stone whose purpose is assume to be the wading of evil spirits.
one needs to enter the cave temple via an entrance which actually is the open mouth of a demon carved into the stone this unique entrance has made it to be one of the most instagrammable spots in bali there is never a moment you do not see people posing for a picture.
2.the meditation cave the interior of the Goa Gajah cave or the meditation cave is actually t-shaped towards the leftthere is an idol of lord Ganesha carved out of a black stone, devotees place their offerings over a raised platform in front of the idol towards the right there are three lingams that represent lord shiv and shakti.
3.Bathing pools with fountains you simply can not miss checking out the beautiful bathing pools in front of the cave the walls of these pools have stunning hindu angels holding water sprots carved into the stone while the cave was discovered by dutch archeologists in 1923 the bathing pools with the fountains were not discovered until 1954.
the complex earlier contains 7 statues now 6 left due to earthquake 1 has been destroyed. This statues symbols as Angel holding water pitchers like seven holy rivers Ganga river Saraswati, Yamuna ,Godavari, Sindhu, Kaveri and Narmada as seven sisters of India .
4.Lush greenery and other scenic vistas- when you are exploring the site you will notice many smaller shrines with idols of various gods there is a huge lotus pond and lots of green spaces for you to roam around and admire the temple complex always remember that this is a place of religious importance ,so respect the temple and its complex and also the heritage that resides.
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