Is located in Banjar Goa, Bedulu village, Blahbatuh subdistrict, Gianyar regency, it is about 5 km from Ubud.
Goa Gajah has been known since the reign of some kings, among others are : Sri Dharmawangsawardhana Marakatapangkajastano Tunggadewa ( 1022 AD ), King Anak Wungsu (1053 AD ), Paduka Sri Mahaguru (1324 AD).
Mpu Prapanca on his book Negarakertagama, during the reign of Hayam Wuruk king in the Majapahit era wrote that Lwa Gajah is located in Bedutu village as the hermitage place of Sang Bodadyaksa.
There was also mentioned a term Kunjarakunjapada which means “Kunjara dormitory”, the word kunjara in Sanskrit means Elephant. This dormitory is the dormitory of Rsi Agastya located in Mysore in South India. There were many wild elephants live around the dormitory. It is possible tha Goa Gajah was built in order to remind about Kunjarakunjapada dormitory in India. The beginning of Goa Gajah discovery is started from the Netherlands East Indies official’s report, LC. Heyting in 1923, who reported the discovery of Ganesha statue, Trilingga, and also Hariti statue to the Government of Netherlands East
Indies, later, Dr.W.F. Stuterhiem began to conduct an advanced research in 1925. In 1950, Archaeological Sites Office of
Indonesia through the sections of the ancient buildings in Bati led by J.L. Krijgman conducted the research and excavation in 1954 to 1979, and they were found an ancient holy water ponds
with six s atues of women equipped wit existence believed to provide an aura cleansing vibrations, visitors until now.
There is a^uilding that holds the statue of Ratu Brayut or Hariti in front of the cave According to the archaeologists, Haritihad an evil character in the beginning but after learning Buddhi’sm her evil nature is turned into children’s lover, as seen on the statue. .
On the upper right side of the cave wall, there is a writing of “Kuman” and “Shy Wangsa” written in Kadiri Kwadrat letters which meaning could not be certainly known by the historians. According to archaeological research of the statues art from and ancient holy water pond that exist in the Goa Gajah is believed to be inherited in the llth century, (source : BP3 Bali)
Goa Gajah complex consits of two main parts, the northern part of the complex is an inheritance of Shivaism with the Tri Lingga and Ganesha statue in the cave. In The southern part of the Goa Gajah complex that is Tukad Pangkung area, it was found by Mr. Concrat Spies in 1931, in form of a thirteen tiered Buddhist stupa and three branched j stupa were carved on large stone. Incomplete stupas conditions were caused by the disaster that occured in Bali in 1917.There is the Petapan Temple located in the south, above the Pangkung river. There is a Buddha statue stored here that its existence was estimated since the 9th century, it is one proofs of the spread of the Buddhism in Bali.
Budism and Shivaism archeological evidences in Goa Gajah are the reflection of religious tolerance in the past 1 able to find nowadays in’Bali.