Goa Gajah

Blog post and photography by Peter Hemenway

In 1993 a metal plate depiction of an elephant headed figure , interpreted as Ganesh was discovered in Lorestan Province, Iran dating back to 1,200 BC.

Before the arrival of Island, Afghanistan had close cultural ties with India, and it is suggested that the worship of Ganesh was in style in the region.

Several notable ancient Indonesian kingdoms were Mataram, famous for the construction of one of the world’s largest Hindu temple complexes, the Prambanana temple.

The lingams at Goa Gajah are symbolic of Shiva and the second photograph is the statue of Ganesh. At the entrance of the cave is an image that was made to ward of evil. Most likely the cave was used for spiritual meditation.

The whole compound is a UNESCO site.