Two kilometers south of Tampaksiring, on the banks of the upper course of the sacred Pakrisan River, Gunung Kawi ('Mountain of Poetry') lies in the heart of the archaeologically rich Pejeng area, a region where Hinduism first took hold on Bali.

Gunung Kawi-open daily only during daylight hours-is one of the more impressive historical sites on Bali: a blinding green watery canyon where two rows of ancient blackened tombs have been hewn out of natural rock hillsides as royal memorials.

The whole complex is well swept and well maintained and should be visited in the cool mornings or late afternoons when few tourists are about. At the lookout on top of the long, steep stairway, look down upon overwhelming scenery: sunlit waterfalls and palm-studded rice terraces plunging to a deep ravine with a rushing river flowing through it all.

The holy water of the river was meant to sanctify the site. Carved into niches on two facing cliffs, the somber and unembellished temples contain no interior chambers, only facades. Built in the late 11th century, the temples are remarkably well preserved.

There are 10 temples in all. Across the gorge is an abandoned hermitage for the keepers of the tombs. All around flows holy water and steep-sided rock walls covered with dripping moss, all of which gives the site an elevated and venerated atmosphere.

History

Goa Gajah and these temples are the earliest known monuments of Balinese art. The Balinese knew of the Gunung Kawi 'candi' long before they were 'discovered' by H.T. Damte in 1920. Local lore says the legendary Kebo Iwo carved the ancient structures in one night with his fingernails-he's credited with carving nearly all the ancient monuments between the Pakrisan and Petanu Rivers.

Heavily weathered inscriptions etched over the sham doors of the 'candi' date construction to the 11th century. The highly decorative script used here was in vogue during the East Javanese Kediri period. The Balinese usually prefer ornamentation to bulk, but not at Gunung Kawi, where the monolithic-style architecture obviously originates from Java. Urs Ramseyer observed that the tombs resemble Indian temples.

Stone monuments are rare on Bali, which only adds to the mystery surrounding the purpose of the structures. The structural difference between these and Javanese 'candi' is that the impressively scaled Gunung Kawi monuments are not freestanding but are hewn in relief out of a solid rock hillside.

Each 'candi' is seven meters high and cut inside its own deep niche to provide protection. Further protection came from an erosion-resistant hard plaster coating that has long since vanished. Each group of 'candi' rests on a common base accessible by a stone staircase. Naga gargoyle spouts once channeled water above the 'candi' to anoint bathers and irrigate the fields.

There's little doubt each temple served as a memorial to deified royalty, as they're shaped like the burial towers found all over Central and East Java. The exact identity of the royal personages honored here is unknown.

One very credible theory suggests the five 'candi' in the main group were built for King Udayana, his Javanese queen Gunapriya, his concubine, his illustrious eldest son Airlangga who ruled over East Java, and his youngest son Anak Wungsu. Reigning over Bali from AD 1050 to 1077, Anak Wungsu is believed to have given up his kingdom to become a religious hermit.

The 'candi' on the far left in the row of five, placed higher than the rest, may be that of King Udayana. The four 'candi' on the other side of the river were built for the chief concubines of Anak Wungsu. Another theory suggests this whole mausoleum complex enshrines the memory of only Anak Wungsu and his royal wives and favorite concubines, who most likely immolated themselves to follow their sovereign into the afterlife.

The 'Tenth Tomb,' discovered only a few years after Gunung Kawi's discovery by W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, is either a memorial to a high priest or a high-caste state official, possibly Anak Wungsu's prime minister, Rakryan, who died after his master. A boy from the souvenir shop near the bridge will take you along a path through 'sawah' to this odd 'candi' removed from the main complex. The one-km-long walk takes you by a small gateway hewn from rock. To the left of the Tenth Tomb are more niches.

To the right of the main ensemble of temples is a Buddhist monks' cloister (patapan) with five cells carved out of rock. In the confluence of the Oos River in Campuan, near Ubud, several other ascetic cells were also discovered, indicating the monastic tradition was entrenched in 11th-century Bali. Gunung Kawi's cloister inmates most likely were caretakers of the 'candi'. There's a second hermitage near the main cloister, consisting of niches around a central courtyard, which might have served as sleeping quarters for visiting pilgrims.

Getting There and Away

From Tampaksiring, Gunung Kawi is a two-km walk south on the road to Pejeng, or take a 'bemo'. The small road to the tombs is on the left in Desa Panaka. From the main road, walk 600 meters to the ticket office, then walk through a fortress-like gateway and descend 315 stone steps that wind down into the gorge, at one point through a stretch of solid rock, emerging onto the bank of the river.

Souvenir and drink stands line the walkway down to the ravine but their presence is not cloying. During the descent, pause along the way to catch the views. At one point you can make out the tip of Pura Mengening. There are actually two Gunung Kawis, so don't be confused. In Sebatu village five-km to the north is the bathing spot of Pura Gunung Kawi.