Elephant Cave or Goa Gaja

Goa Gaja is one of the oldest temples in Bali. It is located near Ubud. The name of the temple is translated from the Indonesian language as “elephant cave”.

There is a version according to which the name of the cave-temple is due to the fact that the rock image above the entrance looks like the snout of an elephant. The person who invented it probably never looked inside. Despite the name of the cave, elephants have never been found on the island of Bali, and those that can be seen today were brought from Sumatra. But inside the sanctuary it becomes clear that there is a very weighty reason for such a name.

The sanctuary of Goa Gaja is a small room in the form of the letter T in niches placed Buddhist and Shaivist sculptures, including the statue of Ganesha. Near the temple there is an altar, as well as a pool with fountains in the form of female figures shedding water from jugs. Archaeologists discovered it only in the middle of the twentieth century. Experienced travelers claim that the best time to enjoy the beauty and sacred mystery of this place is at dawn.