Bali Culture - Goa Gajah

Goa Gajah or Elephant Cave is located in the southwest of Bedulu village, next to Yeh Pulu relief, 6 km from Ubud. Known only to local villagers and the bats during centuries of neglect, the cave was revealed to the public in 1954 during archeological investigations done by Mr. Krijgsman. It had became filled in and a temple built upon it, which had to be moved to its present site. The spring and pond there have given the temple its name Pura Taman.

Carved into the stone above the cave entrance is a massive face with bugling eyes and high arched eyebrows. The eyes glance toward the west or the left as you face the cave. The ear ornaments do not necessarily indicate a female face, for male royalty also wore such ornaments. This figure represents Boma (sometimes also called Kala or Sanskrit: Kittimukha), and it is probably earliest  representation of this figure in Bali. Acording to Balinese texts (lontar), Boma is the son of the Wishnu and the goddess Basundari or Ibu (mother) pertiwi. Boma may be linked to the child of water and earth, for wisnu is the god of waters and Parwati is the goddess of the soil or mother earth.