A Balinese place name Lwa Gajah, “œElephant Water,” is in fact mentioned in the 1365 Nagarakertagama as the seat of high Buddhist official. Since it occurs immediately after Badahulu (nearby Bedulu)this Lwa Gajah, named for some reason unknown to us, may very well have later given its name to the cave.
After his first visit to the site, Nieuwenkamp rightly had doubts about the head above the cave being an elephant”™s. Its face was badly damaged (hence the earlier reference to a “œmouth”). There was no sign of a trunk. Neither the ears nor the ear ornament suggested an elephant (or could the big eyes, of which only the right remains, give that idea!).
For some time the question remained unanswered, but a clearing of the rock”™s surface and recent restorations left no doubt about there being no elephant whatever in the rock wall. The cave lies south of the road, several metes bellows its level, and must be reached by a steep by steep path. Whereas for a long time since its discovery, the situation of the elephant Cave and the little pura in front of it had not notably changed, the 1954 excavation of the watering place gave a new character to the cave”™s surroundings.
The interior cave was first reconnoitered by, Nieuwenkamp, who paid no attention to bystanders”™ remarks that “œthere was nothing inside.” The cave consists of a man made Tshaped excavation opening to the south. Recent research has revealed that there may have been a stone screen (in modern Bali called alingaling, comparable to the kelir protecting Javanese entrances ) in front of the cave”™s entrance.
Such screen safeguard dwellings and sanctuaries against evil influences. According to Balinese views, such influences may be expected from the south which the cave faces. In Central and South Bali south is kelod, “œtowards the sea” and the Nether World, thus dangerous.
The entrance, 2 meters high and only 1 meter wide, leads to a very dark interior. The T”™s straight leg consist of a porch (2 meterwide) and a passage (1 meter wide) which together penetrate into the rock over a depth of around 9 meters. The T”™s crossbeam covers about 13.5 meters, to a width of 2.75 meters. The cave contains 15 niches hewn out of the wall. Some of them are along (those either side of the porch 2 meters to a depth of 90 cm; those in the passage 1.8 meters to a depth of 1 meter); they may have served as sleeping places.
Those along the lateral passage are short (seven niches along the north wallmaximum 126 cm high, around 100 cm wide, 135 cm deep-and two niches in the south wall-65 and 90 cm, to a depth of 75 cm) and may have served various purposes. The niches at the western and eastern extremities are 80 cm and 140 cm respectively, to a height of 80 cm each. Since Niuwenkamp”™s first report on the Elephant Cave there have been some pieces of sculpture in the end niches of the lateral passages: a four-armed Ganesha (height 105 cm) in the left wing, a set of three linggas (height 46.5cm) placed side by side on the same pedestal (length 113 cm) at the opposite end. Each of the linggas is surrounded by eigth smaller ones.
The whole set is hewn out of one piece of stone. Ganesha being Siva”™s elephantine son, and the lingga being Siva”™s distinctive, does not necessarily stamp the cave a Sivaistic sanctuary at all, it migt also have been a Buddhist one. To The right of the entrance are two vaguely engraved graffiti in the wall (inside), one above the other. The upper one seems older than the second (written in larger type), and recalls the writing of an A.D. 1074 inscription. The engravings read kamon (or kumon), and sahy (v) angsa. The meaning is not clear. If the writing is correctly dated (second half of the 11th century) the cave itself might have been made early in the same century. Sculptures found in the neighborhood cover a longer timespan.
The cave has been cut into a projecting part (height around 4.5 meters) of a rock wall whose surface was simultaneously straightened on either side, the more to emphasize the salient, which has a flat surface. We sometimes get the impression that the flat top of a recluse”™s cave was used for meditation. There is indeed a flight of steps in the rock (to the right); it does not, however, reach the salient”™s top. (there is a rectangular niche at the end of the steps). The situations is ambiguous.
The salient”™s front and lateral faces are entirely covered with sculpture suggesting stylized mountain scenery interspersed with large and forcefully modeled leaves. Animal, monsters, and anthropomorphic phantom climb the rocks, peep around corners, or comprise funny scenes, such as a bear (?) kept on a leash (or prodded with a long stick?) by a goblin, safely lying on a salient over the animal”™s back.
The animal kingdom is further represented by snake in its hole, another highly stylized snake (?), a tortoise, and some indistinct animal. Two little figures climb a rock: one, whose loincloth is sliding down, has genitals showing. In addition there are a monster”™s head with pointed ears, a lingga or broken statuette (?),etc. This baroque scene present a mysterious mountain forest, set apart from the civilized world of human beings”¦”¦to be continued
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