Queens' Tombs

West side
Gunung Kawi, Bali

Two rows of monuments are carved into the cliffside, facing each other across the valley; four on the west side, seen here, and five on the east side (next page). They are traditionally called the "queens' tombs" (west) and "kings' tombs" (east), but this is conjectural. In any case, the monuments are not tombs in the literal sense, but rather memorials - in effect, colossal headstones - that are carved in the likeness of candis (shrines). It is thought that cinerary ashes or deposit boxes may have been placed, at one time, underneath the carvings.