Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Gunung Kawi Temple
Deep in a cavalcade of rice
offering splendid views down, divided into two parts on either side of the
river Pakrisan, the temple of Gunung Kawi proudly holds Tampaksiring. Following
a descent of 230 steps of a pebble staircase, two tombs were discovered several
meters high, carved into the stone and embedded in niches, referring to the
cave temples of Ajanta in India. These are the tombs of King Udayana and his
family, built in the tenth century.
The candis of Gunung Kawi are believed to be
constructed in the 11th century (1080 AD) by king Anak Wungsu in honor of his
father, the great Balinese ruler Udayana. Contrary to what is often believed,
the candis are not tombs, for they have never contained human remains or ashes.
If you plan to visit this temple, bring along a
sarong with you. But if you forget to bring one, don’t worry because you can
borrow one at the entrance. You need to walk 1 km to reach the temple from the
entrance. Despite of it’s long walk, you can enjoy the beautiful view. It’s hot
and have moist air right there, but it will be highly rewarded because when you
arrive at the temple. You will see two pots filled with water at the end of
stair case. The temple are 7 meter tall. You can imagine how this area looked
like 1000 years ago when balinese still active praying in this carved shrine,
only jungle, no stairs, no land clearing, and no pathways.
Source: helobali
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