Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
- to summon the people of Pejeng to ceremonies, to announce war, and also to invite rain to
fall.
Pura Pusering Jagat
100m south of Pura Penataran Sasih • No fixed opening times • Free, but donation required; sarongs and sashes
can be borrowed
Pura Pusering Jagat , the “Temple of the Navel of the World”, is famous for its elaborately
carved 1m-high stone jar , used for storing holy water. Carved in the fourteenth century from
a single block of sandstone, the jar's reliefs are thought to depict a scene from the Hindu
myth “The Churning of the Sea of Milk”, in which the gods and the demons compete for the
chance to extract, distil and drink the elixir of immortal life.
Housed in a nearby pavilion is another significant icon, the 1m-high phallic lingam and its
female receptacle, the yoni - this is an important shrine visited by many newlywed and infer-
tile couples.
Pura Kebo Edan
200m south of Pura Pusering Jagat • No fixed opening times • Free, but donation required; sarongs and sashes
can be borrowed
Along with Pura Pusering Jagat, Pura Kebo Edan is also considered lucky for childless
couples. The attraction here is the massive, lifelike phallus of the huge stone man, nicknamed
the Pejeng Giant , who is nearly 4m tall and is depicted dancing on a prone female figure
thought to represent the earth. He is said to possess six penises in all; aside from the one
swinging out for all to see, one is supposed to have dropped to the ground during his dan-
cing, and four more are said to be hidden inside him, awaiting the correct point of the dance
before emerging. His principal penis is pierced from front to back with a huge bolt-like pin,
probably a realistic reference to an age-old Southeast Asian practice designed to increase wo-
men's sexual pleasure. The giant's identity is debatable; he is possibly Bhima, one of the chief
characters from the Mahabharata, or the Hindu god Siwa, who harnessed enormous cosmic
power whenever he danced.
Museum Arkeologi Gedung Arca
500m south of Pura Penataran Sasih • Sat-Thurs 8am-3pm, Fri 8am-12.30pm • Free, but a donation to your
guide is expected
Pejeng's government-run Museum Arkeologi Gedung Arca houses an eclectic assortment
of artefacts found in the area, ranging from Paleolithic chopping tools to bronze bracelets and
Chinese plates, though labels are limited and many pieces have been moved to the Bali Mu-
seum in Denpasar.
The most interesting exhibits are the huge sarcophagi . These massive coffins, up to 3m long
and fashioned from two fitted sections of hollowed-out stone, probably date back to about
300 BC. They were designed to hold adult skeletons (those placed in the smallest vessels
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