Bedulu & PejengBedulu & Pejeng

Between the Petanu and Pakerisan rivers, Bedulu and Pejeng hold some of the oldest traces of Balinese kingdoms. Goa Gajah, built as a hermitage around the 11th century, sits on a slope where two streams meet, with bathing pools and spouting statues still fed by spring water. Nearby, the roughly 25-metre Yeh Pulu reliefs were carved into a rock face in the 14th century, showing wayang figures alongside scenes of village life. In Pejeng, Pura Penataran Sasih keeps the Moon of Pejeng, a bronze kettledrum about 1.86 metres tall, described as the largest single-cast drum ever found. The Gedong Arca Museum, now also called the Sarcophagus Museum, completes the story with stone coffins and tools from prehistory to the 15th century.