Goa Gajah

2 km (11/4 mi.) from Bedulu the famous Elephant Cave of Goa Gajah was revered by Hindus from the end of the first millennium and possibly by Buddhists before then. The cave was rediscovered in 1923, and the bathing-place in front of it was excavated in 1954. This source sanctuary owes its name - unexpected on Bali, where according to tradition there were never any elephants - to the form of the cave mouth, which looks something like an elephant's head.

In the cave is revered a 1 m (3 ft) high figure with four arms representing the elephant god Ganesha, one of the sons of Shiva. To the right of this, on a stone base, are three lingams, symbolizing Shiva in his three manifestations as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva himself. Round each lingam are eight small phallic symbols, representing the eight guardians of the worlds. Outside the cave were separate bathing pools for men and for women, with a small one in between whose function is not known (possibly for the ritual purification of members of the priestly caste). The pipes from which the water emerged are elaborately carved.

To see the Elephant Cave properly you should have a pocket torch (not available locally).