Halfway through between Nusa Dua and Ubud are the 9th century Goa Gajah, or the Elephant cave. The place draws its name from the nearby Elephant River. Interestingly there weren’t any elephants in Bali till the time Indian Kings arrived in the first century AD. The entire complex was completely buried possibly due to some volcanic activity and excavated only around 1950 by the Dutch. The finds comprise a narrow T shaped cave, ancient bathing pools and relatively more recent Hindu temples. The cave is believed to have served as the sanctuary for Hindu priests and continue to be a site of active worship even today. Those twin ornate bathing pools that you’ll see here have a natural water source, presumably from the nearby Elephant River. And the water flows out of the water pitcher held in each idol's palms, filling the arena with fresh water. Did I mention that the whole structure is situated below the ground level and you will take a flight of about 100 stairs to reach here. Don’t forget to bring your own Sarong as the ones available at the entry gate were extremely smelly. #views #photography #mountains