Goa Gajah Temple, Elephant Cave Ubud-Bali,

Goa Gajah Temple, also known as Elephant Cave Ubud-Bali, is located in Bedulu village, Gianyar, Bali. It is about 15 minutes drive from Ubud center.

If you are interested in visiting the Temple in Bali and want to explore more about Bali, make sure to add Goa Gajah Temple to your itinerary. The mush see historical site on tours to Ubud, and it is easy to see why it was a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site back in 1995. With a narrow path leading 15 meters deep into the cave where you’ll find Hindu incense baskets burning. The temple’s doorway is a bizarre and cool sight, resembling a rock monster’s belly.

So if you are looking for unique and mysterious site to visit? Here is all the information you need to know about this tourist attraction. An interesting old 9th-century Hindu cave temple that dates back to the 9th century. Information that you will get about Pura Goa Gajah Elephant Cave Temple in Bali, such as:

General information about Goa Gajah Temple
Entrance fee to the Pura Goa Gajah
Location of tourist attractions
Opening hours and Dress code
History of Pura Goa Gajah Temple
Transportation options to tourist attractions

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Goa Gajah Temple General Information

The temple is characterized by menacing faces carved into the stone, believed to ward off evil spirits. The primary figure is a giant face with a gaping mouth, representing the entrance to the underworld. The temple’s history is uncertain, but it is believed to have been built as a place for spiritual meditation, possibly by Hindu priests who dug it out by hand to use as a hermitage.

Despite its name, the temple is not wide enough to fit an elephant inside, and there aren’t any elephants here except for a big contemporary statue near the parking entrance. The temple’s name remains a mystery, but its history and significance are not. The complex contains both Hindu and Buddhist imagery, with the cave containing lingam and yoni, the symbol of Shiva, and the image of Ganesha. By the river, there are carved images of stupas and chattra, imagery of Buddhism.

Goa Gajah Temple Entrance Fee

Goa Gajah Temple entrance fee is 50.000 Indonesian rupiah per person per January 2023. The following is a table of ticket attractions in Goa, Gajah Temple, Bali.

Ticket Price Category
IDR 5,000 for car parking per car
Rp 2,000 for motorcycle parking

Goa Gajah Temple Location

Goa Gajah Elephant Cave Temple in Ubud, Bali, is located in the west of Bedulu Village, Blahbatuh District, Gianyar Regency. The exact location is on the edge of a cliff at the meeting of a small river in the village. Departing from Denpasar, the distance is around 26 km from Denpasar city, with an estimated travel time of 1 hour. Below, I provide a map if you decide to visit this temple.

Goa Gajah Temple Opening Hours

Goa Gajah Temple is open every day from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For any worship purpose, this temple is open for 24 hours. Then when is the ceremony held at Goa Gajah Temple? So the ceremony in this temple is held every full moon of Sasih Kapat in the Balinese Calendar, around September or October. The ceremony is accompanied by traditional Balinese dances and gamelan. The tourists always come to witness it.

Goa Gajah Temple Dress Code

The Goa Gajah Temple dress code before visiting the temple complex, it is mandatory to cover your knees and chest. When you are traveling in Bali, especially if you decide to visit a place with a Hindu temple, please be aware of your dress code. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to enter the Hindu temple site that you want to visit. Most of the Balinese Hindu temple attractions in Bali, on the locket ticket or entrance gate, will provide a sarong and scarf for the visitor. If you want to have your own sarong, you can buy one at a local handicraft store for $5 USD or IDR 70.000.

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Pura Goa Gajah Elephant Cave Ubud

Then what are the uniquenesses found in Goa, Gajah, and Bali?

Near the cave, there is a large pond guarded by six statues of angels. The sacred fountain gushing from the statues of the nymphs is a symbol of fertility.

Outside the entrance, there are carvings and two statues of guards.
The inside of the cave is in the shape of a T, about 2 meters high and 2 meters wide.
The left and right parts of the aisle also have niches that might have been used for meditation in ancient times. But now tourists can sit or lie there.
At the western end of the aisle is the Ganesha statue, and at the eastern end of the hall are three phallus.
In addition, around the cave area, there are also petirtaan statues with seven widyadara (widyadari) statues holding the holy water. There are seven total statues, which are symbols of seven rivers in India, the birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Goa Gajah Temple History

Goa Gajah Temple or Elephant Cave Ubud history comes from the words “Goa Gajah,” where goa in Indonesian means cave and gajah means elephant. According to history, Goa Gajah was named in 1923, when a Dutch official named LC. Heyting found the Hariti statue and the Ganesha statue (Ganesha is a god who has the head of an elephant and has a human body). So the Ganesha statue was found in the area of the temple and inside the cave.

But according to history, the Warmadewa Dynasty ruled over Bali Island from the 10th to the 11th centuries. The word Goa Gajah  or Elephant Cave Temple, comes from the word “Lwa Gajah”. In the Lontar Negarakertagama compiled by Mpu Prapanca in 1365 AD, there was the name “Lwa Gajah”. If interpreted into Indonesian, then the word “Lwa” means river and gajah, which means a temple where Buddhist monks worship. So the name “Lwa Gajah” can be interpreted as a place of retreat for Buddhist monks located on the banks of the river.

From the parking area to the location of the hermitage, tourists must descend the stairs. You will also see large trees that are hundreds of years old.

The overall Goa Gajah Ubud tourism complex can be seen from the stairs. When you arrive at the bottom area after going down the stairs, you will hear the sound of water flowing from the fountain statues. The rocks of the former building destroyed by the earthquake can also be seen around the holy spring. While the temple itself is located not far from the fountain statue.

Pura Goa Gajah Temple Transportation Options

If you want to visit the attractions of Elephant Cave Temple, you definitely need a transportation facility. 

So there are many taxi services to get around Ubud, and the several transportation options that you can choose.

1.Using a Motorcycle

For cost-effective transportation options, you can use a motorcycle. There are many motorbike rental services in Bali with a range of motorbike rental prices of around Rp 100,000 – Rp 200,000 / 24 hours a day

2. Looking for Car Rental Services with Drivers in Bali Ubud Car Rental

By renting a car + driver in Bali, it will be very easy for you to travel from one tourist spot in Bali to another. Without thinking about finding a parking space, looking for shortcuts, and thinking about road congestion.

In the area of ​​the tourist attraction of Ubud, there is very rarely a car park available. Most people park on the side of the highway and are very often full. Because of this, we strongly recommend that you find a car rental service provider in Bali with a driver.

3. Buy a Cheap Tour Package in Bali UBUD TAXI

Because Ubud is very famous and gets very high demand from tourists so a lot of travel business providers that provide Ubud tour packages. The advantages of buying cheap tour packages in Bali with the Ubud route, you get the advantages of car rental services with drivers. Besides that, your tour schedule will be planned and directed and your holiday budget in Bali will be planned.

Entering Temples in Bali

Every visitor who wants to enter the temple area in Bali must comply with the same rules for each temple in Bali. There are rules that you must obey in order to enter the temple area in Bali such as:

Wear sarong cloth with a shawl tied around the waist.
For women who are menstruating, please do not enter the temple area.
Do not throw garbage at random.
Do not climb the place of worship.
Don’t make litter.
Don’t say harsh words.

Sitting on a temple shrine in Bali is considering not to respect the customs and Hindu religion adopted by the Balinese people.

According to Balinese belief, there are two taboos if you want to visit a temple. The first is when a woman is menstruating and the second is when someone in the family grieves (passes away).

Based on people’s beliefs, all temples are the most sacred places for worshiping God. Meanwhile, menstrual blood is considered as “cemer” or negative energy that can remove the sanctity of the temple area.

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Goa Gajah Tempe – Elephant Cave Ubud Tour

Elephant Cave temple tour and interesting places to be visited around Ubud. This tour will begin with the hotel pickup at 9:00 a.m. The places will be visiting during this tour such as Elephan Cave Temple , Balinese coffee Plantation Luwak, Bali swing Ubud, Tegalalang rice terrace and Tegenungan waterfall..

Tripadvisor Review

Elephant cave Ubud is located at Bedulu village, Gianyar, Bali. It is about 15 minutes drive from Ubud center. The name of Elephant cave is coming from the words “Goa Gajah” where Goa in Indonesian language mean cave and Gajah mean elephant. 

Bali Coffee Plantation is a product that is processed by Balinese coffee farmers in a traditional way.  A new experience to process and utilize natural wealth and learn about the most unique coffee making processes that will change your knowledge of coffee and tea.

Tegenungan Waterfall is located in the village of Tegenungan Kemenuh, Sukawati sub-district, Gianyar regency. This tourist attraction offers a cool atmosphere and the beauty of panoramic views. The location of Tegenungan waterfall is very easy to reach by car with a distance of 15 minutes from the city of Ubud.

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