Once a main shrine of the Pejeng kingdom in the 10th century, Pura Penataran Sasih is directly linked to the Bali Aga mountain retreat of Penulisan north of Kintamani. Its piece de resistance is an hourglass-shaped bronze-cast gong measuring more than 186 centimeters and the oldest surviving artifact in Bali, dating back to 300 BC. According to legend, in the beginning of time, one of the Earth’s 13 moons fell from the skies and landed in a tree. The brightness of the moon shed light on a thieving scoundrel, catching him red-handed. Angered by being caught in the act, he climbed the tree and urinated on the moon, causing it to explode and turn green before falling to the ground as a gong. The ancient relic is also thought to have originated from northern Vietnam, and some scholars hypothesize that the gong predates the Ming Dynasty and may have been a gift from Kublai Khan to a king in Bali.

Pura Penataran Sasih in Bali served the purpose of one the most important places of worship during the time of the great Balinese kingdoms. Various temple festivals are held in the 9th Balinese month at the Pura Penataran Sasih in Bali. It is an old temple that existed even before Hinduism started spreading to Bali.