If heading north, Pura Panataran Sasih (sasih means 'drum') is on the right side of the road after Gedong Arca, recognizable by its stone sculptures of wild boars and 'naga'. The chief shrine of the 10th century Pejeng kingdom, this 'pura' is linked to the Bali Aga mountain sanctuary of Penulisan north of Kintamani. Heading north from Bedulu, the temple is on the main road on your right just as you enter Pejeng.

Hanging in a high pavilion to the left, surrounded by a wooden fence, is a superb example of Bronze Age art, the sacred monumental bronze gong known as the Moon of Pejeng. Considered a masterpiece of bronze-casting, this 186.5-cm-tall hourglass-shaped gong is thought to be the largest in the world cast in a single piece and the oldest surviving archaeological artifact on Bali.

Legend has it in the beginning of time, one of the Earth's 13 moons fell from heaven and landed in a tree. It was so bright it stopped the shameful work of a thief, who became so angry he climbed the tree and urinated on the heavenly object. With a loud boom the moon exploded, killing the thief and falling to earth as a gong. The fall caused it to crack and the urine colored it green. To this day no one dares touch the gong and daily offerings are made to it.

Other legends hold the gong is the wheel of the chariot of the moon or the earplug of the mythical giant Kebo Iwo or moon-goddess Ratih. A highly revered object, the richly ornamented gong is believed by most Balinese to possess magic power. Its sounding surface measures 160 cm in diameter.

The piece is thought to date from around 300 BC, the beginning of the Indonesian Bronze Age. No one knows whether the gong originated in Bali or northern Vietnam. The gong could have been carried to insular Southeast Asia by royal personages fleeing the Chinese.

Some scholars speculate it precedes the Mings, and may have been a gift from Kubilai Khan to a raja of Bali. To support the theory that it originated in Bali, scholars point to the fact that ancient stone molds used in casting bronze have been found on the island.

The Pejeng 'gong' has been on continuous display in the Pura Panataran Sasih ever since the Old Balinese period. It's believed to be about 1,000 years older than the Pejeng dynasty. When the great naturalist Rumphius visited Bali over 300 years ago, the kettle 'gong' was already ancient. The treasure is so high up in a tower-like shrine you can't make out the detail-bring binoculars. Donation requested.