The Temple on the Cliff, Gunung Kawi

Bali is famous not only because of the beaches but also the amount of the temples. Since most of the people in Bali are Hindu, there are a lot of temples in every corner of Bali. Some of the temples in Bali are very old with their own stories and histories. Some other temples are located in a very beautiful area that makes them become a must visit tourist destination in Bali.

One of the temples that are located in a very beautiful area and has a historical story is Gunung Kawi Temple Bali. Gunung Kawi Temple Bali is located in Banjar Penaka, Tampak Siring Village, Tampak Siring District, Gianyar regency. It takes about 20 until 30 minutes from Ubud and around 1 hour from Denpasar to reach Gunung Kawi Temple Bali.

First, you arrived in Gunung Kawi Temple Bali, you have to hike around 300 of stairs down to reach the gate of Gunung Kawi Temple Bali. But your hike will not be boring because you will see the typical view of rice fields, hills, and trees along your way to reach the gate of Gunung Kawi Temple Bali. Gunung Kawi Temple Bali is a temple that was built in the 11th century, in the time of Udayana Kingdom. Not like the other temples, Gunung Kawi Temple Bali has buildings carved on the cliffs.

The area of Gunung Kawi Temple Bali also separated into two part by Pakerisan River. In Gunung Kawi Temple Bali you will find the temples surrounded by cliffs and trees. Some of the temples are carved on the cliffs, which is why people called the temple as “Gunung Kawi” that means “temple in the mountain or cliff”. Based on the old folk story, Gunung Kawi Temple Bali was built by Kebo Iwa, a giant with magical power. One day, he broke his nails and built Gunung Kawi Temple Bali by them only in one night. Gunung Kawi Temple Bali was found in 1920 by a researcher from the Netherlands.

Gunung Kawi Temple Bali has 4 kinds of engraving consists of 3 temples and one room that is called “vihara”. The “vihara” is consist of a room that was carved on the cliff that has a small space for the sunrise to enter the room. This “vihara” in Gunung Kawi Temple Bali is believed to be a room for meditation. The other area of Gunung Kawi Temple Bali, specifically o the south-east area, you will pass the rice field, on this area of Gunung Kawi Temple Bali you will see another cliff temples and “vihara” that is not completely done.

If you want to visit Gunung Kawi Temple Bali, you have to wear trousers. But if you forget to wear it, Gunung Kawi Temple Bali has sarungs that you can borrow for free. Gunung Kawi Temple Bali is located near to Tirta Empul Temple, so you can visit Gunung Kawi Temple Bali after or before you visit Tirta Empul temple. You can also have lunch in restaurants near Gunung Kawi Temple Bali that offer you any kind of menu with a mesmerizing view of rice fields.