Today’s
The World Around Us
will be presented
in Indonesian,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay,
Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Spanish
and Thai.
Greetings,
warm-hearted viewers,
and welcome to today’s
The World Around Us
on Supreme Master
Television.
On this episode, we’ll
visit the Goa Gajah,
a sacred place
in Bali, Indonesia.
The Goa Gajah literally
means “Elephant Cave.”
It is located
in Bedulu village,
26 km from Denpasar
and just outside of Ubud.
The elephant refers to
Ganesha, one of the most
well-known and revered
Hindu deities.
The son of Lord Shiva,
Ganesha is the remover
of obstacles and
misfortunes and a god
of wisdom and intellect,
as well as a patron of
the arts and sciences.
In Bali,
Ganesha is called Gana.
Pejeng, the area where
the cave is, was once
the capital of Bali
during approximately
the 9th to 14th century.
With the shape of a “T,”
this 7-meter deep cave
cannot be dated exactly.
Some predicted that
it was built in the early
period of the 10th century,
the time of
the Udayana Kingdom.
The cave lies in a steep
valley near Petanu River.
It is a very tranquil area
here, making it
a wonderful place
to meditate.
Now we are
in Goa Gajah.
Goa Gajah is located
in Ubud, Indonesia.
Long time ago,
there was a kingdom;
this kingdom had a king
named Bedahulu.
And its chief minister
was named Kebo Iwa.
Behind me now is
Goa Gajah, which was
a meditation place for
the kings and the saints
who were the advisors
to the king at the time.
The origin of the name,
Goa Gajah, is uncertain.
Some believe
it correspondents to
the words inscribed
in this site, “Lwa Gajah,”
meaning Elephant River,
which was the old name
for Petanu River.
However, others suggest
that it came from the
statue of the Hindu god
Ganesha inside the cave.
However,
as Ganesha statues
are found virtually
everywhere in Bali,
many scholars believe
that the name of Elephant
came from elsewhere.
Two inscriptions issued
by King Anak Wungsu
in the 11th century
refer to a hermitage
known as
“Jewel Elephant Village.”
The name sounds similar
to a hermitage in India
meaning
“Elephant Forest Village.”
It belonged to
the Hindu sage
Rsi Agastya, whose
teachings had once
reached as far as Bali.
Thus, the Elephant Cave
may have been associated
with the Indian
Hindu hermitage.
For centuries, the cave
was only known
to the local villagers
and bat inhabitants.
It was finally revealed
to the greater public
in 1923.
In the southern part of
the cave, not too far
from its left side,
there is a temple that
was built after the site
was unveiled to the public.
The cave thus also
came to be called
Goa Gajah Temple.
Goa Gajah Temple is
one of most visited
sacred sites in Bali.
It was added to
the World Heritage List
of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)
on October 19, 1995.
If we follow a path that
leads to Petanu River,
about 30 meters
down the path, we find
some Buddhist antiques
on the river banks.
Thus, Goa Gajah attests
to the fact that
Hindus and Buddhists
lived peacefully here in
this valley side-by-side.
They co-existed
harmoniously under
the benevolent reign
of the Pejeng-Bedahulu
Dynasty
whose seat was nearby.
In addition to
the Buddhist antiquities
found at the bank of
the river, there are
a number of small stupas
in front of the cave.
These used to be part of
a Buddhist monastery
from another temple
about 10 km away
from Goa Gajah.
The cave of Goa Gajah
has a massive face carved
above the entrance.
This is a depiction
of Bhoma,
the son of the god Vishnu
and the goddess
Basundari or Ibu Pertiwi.
Bhoma is thus like
the child of the union of
water and earth, which
his parents represented,
respectively.
The result is
the growth of plants.
In Sanskrit,
Bhoma means
“born of the earth,”
and refers to
trees and plantlife.
Bhoma’s head
at the cave entrance has
around it reliefs of rocks
and vegetation
and living beings that
illustrate a forest.
Bhoma appears again
at the gateway of
the temple,
the kori agung.
The kori agung gateway
is a symbol of
the holy mountain,
Mount Mahameru,
whose lower slopes are
covered with rich forest,
and whose top is where
the gods come to reside.
To reach the summit,
a person must climb
through the dense trees
before entering
the presence
of the Divine gods.
Similarly, at the entrance
of the Goa Gajah cave,
a person who enters
past Bhoma’s image
enters into the presence
of the gods.
We’ll enter
the sacred Elephant Cave
when we continue our
visit to Goa Gajah Temple
in Bali, Indonesia.
Please stay tuned to
Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
The World Around Us.
We now continue
our visit to the ancient
Goa Gajah Temple
in Bali, Indonesia.
Now we are inside
of the cave, a place for
meditation for the kings
and their bodyguards
and their saints.
Inside the cave,
the atmosphere is
quiet and calm.
Centuries ago, through
the prayers of the kings
and his entourage,
sincerity and purity
filled the emptiness.
Perhaps, their energy still
lingers there till today.
Within the cave,
there is a main chamber
with niches.
The one
facing the entrances
displays stones as well as
a fragment of a sculpture,
possibly from
a giant Buddha.
At the eastern end,
we find a triple lingga of
the Hindu gods Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva.
It represents
the positive and negative
aspects of creation.
At the west end
to the left,
is a statue of Ganesha,
the elephant-headed god.
He is holding an ax
in his left hand, a small
vessel to drink from is
at his lower left,
a ring of beads is
on the top right,
and his chipped tusk
on the lower right.
The ring of beads and
trunk drinking from
the vessel represent
Ganesha as a god
of infinite knowledge.
Altogether, these features
show us that
all adversities can be
overcome with wisdom.
The other niches were
probably spaces
reserved for meditation.
Now, every year,
hundreds of thousand
visitors visit this cave to
experience the tranquilty
and spirtual atmosphere
at this site.
But Goa Gajah is more
than a place for quietude.
Goa Gajah is a place
for holding traditional
ceremonies besides being
a place for meditation.
Located just in front of
the cave is a beautiful
ritual bathing place.
This part of the site was
restored in the year 1954.
Centuries before,
it had become filled with
a temple built on the site.
The temple was then
moved to
its present position
to the east of the cave.
On this right side is
a bathing place
that was used by
all the king’s princess
and their servants.
And this place, is a place
for the kings
and their princes.
As you see there are
three, three statues
carrying pots that
pour out water.
They were used as
showers by the king
and his princes.
The bathing place
has two large pools,
with three statues
for each pool.
Every group has
one male statue flanked
by two female statues
on both sides.
This hermitage is like
other large ancient
hermitages in Bali,
in that they have
a bathing place.
We also can find such
aesthetic bathing places
like this in Telaga Waja,
and the famous
Tirta Empul
in Tampak Siring.
Ritual bathing placese are
usually built in the area
of natural springs.
The Goa Gajah cave has
a spring that is located
several hundred meters
to the east.
The spring water was
channeled through
constructed water tunnels
and to the spouts.
Parts of these ancient
pipes still remain.
The Balinese people
have long enjoyed
the abundance of
fresh spring water,
such that many of these
bathing places were built.
Although spout statues
are quite frequently seen
in Balinese art,
only the ones
at Elephant Cave
are still in use today.
Now we are in
the archeological site
of god Ganesha.
Ganesha was one of
god Shiva’s sons
who was believed as
a god of protection
from all disasters and
as the cleanser
from all impurities.
To the left
of the cave entrance,
there is a small edifice
that houses
three aged statues.
They are of Ganesha,
a lower level being,
and the goddess Hariti.
In Hindu mythology,
Hariti is a goddess
of fertility.
Thus, she is shown
with many children.
In Bali, Hariti is called
Men Brayut, with
Men meaning mother.
In Buddhist mythology,
Hariti was once a demon
who devoured children,
but later awakened to
Buddhism and
became a guardian
protecting children.
Her statue at Goa Gajah
is one of the oldest ever
found, dating to
around the year 1000.
It is clear
based on the size and
sophisticated features
that the Elephant Cave
was built with
the support of the king.
Which king, however,
remains unknown,
as does the exact age
of the cave.
The kings at the time
were advised by priests
who were
the religious leaders
of the main groups of
Siwaism and Buddhism.
They indeed may have
enjoyed using the caves
for meditation and retreat.
However, in later times,
the rulers did not
practice “raja marga,”
a form of spiritulaity
which emphasizes
meditation in solitude.
Rather, they focused on
“bakti marga,” which
prioritized acts of service
over inner contemplation.
Nevertheless,
pilgrims here in general
enjoy a sense of serenity
in and around the cave,
an ambience enhanced
by the sounds of
flowing water and nature.
As we feel the tranquility
here in Goa Gajah Temple,
we pray for
the peaceful world, and
for the harmony among
all beings on the planet.
Thank you for
being with us on today’s
The World Around Us.
Please stay tuned to
Supreme Master
Television for more
constructive progams.
Coming up next is
Words of Wisdom,
after Noteworthy News.
May Heaven bless you
more abundantly
with each day.
US Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
graduate and mechanical
engineer Matthew Stein
is a leading expert
on self-reliance
and surviving
the long emergency.
You buy insurance
and you pray to God
that you're never
going to need it.
And disaster prep
is like that.
You hope you never need
any of this stuff.
Find out what items and
skills go in your 72-hour
“Grab-and-Run Kit” with
emergency preparedness
expert Matthew Stein.
Part 1 of 2 airs on Friday,
August 6 on
Enlightening Entertainment.