Pura Penataran Sasih

Pura Penataran Sasih stands on the main road through Pejeng, a village a few kilometres east of Ubud that was once the seat of a powerful Balinese kingdom. It was that kingdom’s state temple, and it remains one of the most important temples in Bali.

The temple is known for one object above all: the Moon of Pejeng (sasih means “moon”), a bronze kettledrum about 186 cm tall that is thought to be the largest single-cast drum of its kind in the world. The compound also keeps a collection of ancient sandstone statues, making it a rewarding stop on the trail of antiquities between Bedulu and Tampaksiring.

Enter through the split gate and the drum is easy to spot, raised high in a tall pavilion at the back of the courtyard. The hourglass-shaped drum is decorated with geometric patterns and stylised faces with large staring eyes and long earlobes. Because it sits high up and devotees often pray in front of it, the details are hard to make out, so bring binoculars or a zoom lens and keep a respectful distance.

The old sandstone statuary is housed in a shrine on the south side of the compound, to your right as you face the drum. Near the entrance, look for the star-shaped fountain flanked by small elephant statues.

Shoulders and knees must be covered; sarongs are lent at the entrance, and they are compulsory on holy days, when the temple is at its liveliest.

The temple is on the main road from Bedulu north to Pejeng and Tampaksiring, about 5 km east of central Ubud. It is a short taxi ride from Ubud, and an easy outing by scooter or bicycle; combine it with Goa Gajah and Yeh Pulu to the south, or with Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul to the north.

The Moon of Pejeng belongs to the bronze-drum tradition of mainland Southeast Asia, but it was probably cast in the islands, and its age is debated: estimates range from a few centuries before Christ to the first millennium AD. Whatever its date, it is regarded as one of the most important Bronze Age objects in Indonesia.

Balinese legend gives it a grander origin. The drum was once one of the wheels of the moon, which fell to earth and lodged in a tree, glowing so brightly that it lit up the night. A thief who wanted darkness for his work climbed up and urinated on it to put out its light; the moon exploded, killing him, and dropped to the ground, cracked. It has been venerated ever since, and pilgrims come from across Bali to pray before it.

Pejeng’s other ancient temples lie along the same road: Pura Pusering Jagat, “the navel of the world”, with its large cockfighting pavilion, and Pura Kebo Edan, home of a giant stone figure known as the Pejeng Giant. Further south are Goa Gajah, Yeh Pulu and Pura Samuan Tiga in Bedulu.