Winter 2019 - 10. Tour booked through Uma Sari

10.  Tour booked through Uma Sari

Overview of Part of the Goa Gajah Complex

Our receptionist Echa, helped us book this tour. We used the Hotel SUV as a taxi and Agung was our driver for the day. Agung is the grandson of the owner of Uma Sari. We decided we would use Uma Sari, our hotel, as a base while on Bali. There is no use moving from Hotel to Hotel, no matter where we sleep, it’s the same neighborhood. We did look at a Boutique Hotel just a few houses away from where we are now. Wow, nice place but why pay more than 10-fold for a bed in a fancier place? I will write a blurb about this next.

Entrance to the Elephant Cave

Our 1^st stop today is the Elephant Cave. Again, a must see attraction according to the tourist guides. The local name for this spot is Goa Gajah. Goa Gajah is an old and holy place on Bali. The cave was discovered in 1923 by the Dutch as an archeological site and then the fountains were unearthed in 1954. Goa Gajah is a compound, not just a one building site.

Remember, Balinese Hinduism is the main religion on Bali and what I learned is that it is mainly a mix of Buddhism and Shiva worship, with Shiva as the main god. So some people focus more on Shiva or Ganesha  and some have more of a tendency to sit in Zazen  to focus on the teachings of Buddha. 

Mandatory Sarong

 

Goa Gajah, the Elephant cave, was in ancient times a meditation place. Monks sat inside the cave and ‘thought’. Or, if practicing true Zazen, were in the moment, no thought. 

Announcement

We parked our car and then Agung gave us the mandatory sarong to wear, along with the entrance tickets (100,000 Rupiah for Carol and me – US $7). Signs spelled out that women had limited access. There is no access to women during their menstrual period. The walk to the actual cave is a series of stair cases that snake down a fairly steep embankment. Once we arrived at the bottom of the stairs we were met by a ‘wanna be’ guide but we had Agung, there was no need to learn the total intricacies of this place. I read some articles on the internet before we came and I just wanted to feel the vibes of this place. 

Ganesha

I guess we did what everybody did, we entered the cave first. It is dark inside; there is limited artificial light. The cave is rather small and is shaped like the letter ‘T’. Walk up a long shaft-like tunnel and then you have a choice to go left or right. When you turn left you will see a small statue of Ganesha, decorated with flowers and offerings. Turn right and you will come to three decorated Lingam; the representation of fertility that looks like a penis and connotes Shiva, the god of creation. That is it. The cave is smoky from the burnt offerings, narrow and a bit claustrophobic; especially when other tourists enter the cave. The ceiling is not high, I could touch it. I could hardly imagine a monk sitting there for hours or days, deep in contemplation or prayer. 

Lingam

Shiva (?)

The other spiritual sites on the premises were the statues that used urns to pour water into a basin. Springs near by are funneled into this stone tiled holding tank which is the source of water for rivulets or creeks or even a river nearby. 

Statues Pouring Holy Water

 In my head I had to go back to the year 800 or so, the time just before the establishment of Subak. (Subak is the system of water distribution throughout Bali and the social blueprint for everything in Bali). 

I am sure that this spot, this cave was a very idyllic spot centuries ago and hermits came here to pray, to meditate, to find their inner peace. 

The spot became so well known that in the 11^th Century, people started to build a kind of monastery, they added buildings or platforms, added stupas, carved the outside of the cave entrance with representations of their belief and called whatever was around them ‘holy’. Subak was by then a part of the Bali society and a kind of religion to many.

Holy Pavilion

Water is a holy thing in Bali. The springs near the cave were ‘guided’ into a pool and people came and used this ‘holy’ water therapeutically, too. 

A myth was born and now it is a tourist spot.

There are no elephants around, there never were. The common belief is that the Ganesha inside the cave, who looks like an Elephant, is the source for the name of the cave.

Ceiling of the Pavilion

I could feel that this area was at one time, a very special spot on earth. I can understand the attitude former folks had about this location and somehow it makes sense to treat this place with reference and a bit of awe.

Offerings to the Gods

For me, though, living today, it is too touristy. Once we left the actual temple site, we were overrun by merchants selling all imaginable souvenirs at a ‘good’ price, they told me.