Elephant Cave?  OK, our moms said no elephants here, so let’s see what is here.

Entering Goa Gajah or Elephant Cave

Walking past the shops, we are told that this was built in the 9th century and served as a sanctuary.

Path with steps down

Quite a long downward path with steps.   But pretty.

Pretty foliage as we descend to cave

We love the colors of the plants.   From the path, we have a good view of the area.

Looking down on complex

Stones are piled after being recovered in the area.  Pavilions for meeting and prayer.   We later read that these fountains were for women bathing.

Fountain of Youth

Someone told us these waters were to have fountain of youth properties, so everyone went to get some of that water.   Soapy’s mom is getting water to remain youthful now.   This is the entrance to the cave.

Entrance to Elephant Cave

Wow.   The carvings in the stone are so elaborate and detailed.   Inside the cave we looked at the alcoves for offerings.

Alcove for offering

Very nice, but we don’t know the real significance of these items.

Offering

There were about 8-10 alcoves.   All was very interesting.  Exiting the cave, we admired these items.

Part of religious retreat

This is a very quiet area and we were told may people come here to meditate.   The pavilion provides a place for prayer.

Pavilion

We could spend more time here, wandering in this peaceful area.   There are very few other tourists here now, so it is a pleasant location for meditating or thinking.   However, it is time to walk back up that path with steps.

After cave shopping opportunities

And a little time for shopping.   We have been fortunate in Bali.  Most of the temples were not crowded during our visit.   People are fine, but some quiet, peaceful time is nice on a long trip also.   We are very happy in Bali.