Goa Gajah

   In Bedulu, about 2km (1 mile)  from the T-intersection at Ubud, is the Elephant cave or Goa Gajah. According to myth, Dalem Bedulu , the King of bedulu , was a devout Buddhist given to decapitating himself before meditating. One day, the courtiers how were instructed to mind the King’s head, lost it, and quickly replaced it whit that of a pig. The King, understandably ashamed of his appearance, concealed himself in a tower and forbade visitors to view the grotesque sight. News of the King’s condition reached Java, and the prime minister of the Majapahit Empire Gajah Mada, was ordered to meet the King of Bedulu and verify the tale. Of course, Gajah Mada found the pig- headed king, so to speak, and caused Bedulu’s ruination. The cave at Goa Gajah, was the real head of the King of Bedulu, which eventually fell beck to earth. Another myth is that Bedulu’s minister, the giant Kebo Iwa, coved the rock-face with his thumbnail.

    Goa Gajah, called the Elephant Cave because archaeologists thought it looked like the head of a elephant, was once a Buddhist monastery. Situated above the Petanu  River, the complex of temple and baths is testament to the influence of Buddhism before the arrival of Hinduism. The entrance to the cove is over 2m (6ft) high and features the whimsical carving of a man with huge eyebrows and moustache – his mouth is the opening. In sade is  a dimly lit T- shaped chamber, with niches carved in the well (don’t forget to take a torch ). At each and of the “T” is a statue of Ganesha, Siwa’s son. Of course, Ganesha is a Hindu God, but there are statues of Buddhist figurines in the pavilion adjacent to the cave, and down the 50 or so steps behind the compound are statues of Buddha.
A confusion of motifs, the Buddhist Balinese established the compound first, and as Hindu influences filtered through, Hindu religious figured were added.