Gunung Kawi Temple Tampaksiring: religious education site during ancient Bali

The study of sacred buildings that served as religious education sites in the past or often calledas the rarely carried out by researchers. Gunung Kawi Temple Tampaksiring as one of the sacredreligious buildings in the past has given hints of the possibility of this place used as learningand teaching space. For this reason, this study aims to find out the evidences that reinforce theassumption and to explain the life of the supporting community. Data was collected throughobservations and literature reviews. The data was analyzed by using qualitative, contextualand comparative analysis. The results of this study show that Gunung Kawi Temple is a sacred building with a Mandala Kadewaguruan status. It is proven by evidences such as, i.e. its wideplace, variety of religious remains findings, ceramics findings, and inscription reports. The lifeof the rṣi dan hermits showed complex activities meeting social needs related to learning andteaching,fulfilling religious needs by conducting various ceremonies as well as fulfilling the needslife related to foods and drinks