Need To Know About Elephant Cave Temple Of Goa Gajah Ubud Bali
Goa Gajah temple also known as Elephant Cave Temple is a historically significant archaeological site and one of the most popular tourist attraction in Bali.
The Elephant Cave Temple of Goa Gajah dates as far back as the 11th century. Built on a hillside where two streams met to form a river junction, the site was deemed sacred and the temple was built for prayer and enclosed meditation.
The entrance to the elephant cave depicts a giant menacing face whose wide open mouth forms the doorway. While there are various animal and forest motifs depicted by carvings on the outer rock face, the giant face of the doorway is considered to be that of an elephant.
Goa Gajah is carved into a rock face and you enter through the cavernous mouth of a demon. Inside the T-shaped cave you can see fragmentary remains of the lingam, the phallic symbol of the Hindu god Shiva.
And its female counterpart the yoni, plus a statue of Shiva’s son, the elephant-headed god Ganesh. In front of the cave are two square bathing pools with waterspouts held by six female figures.