Moon of Pejeng, Bronze kettle drum in Pejeng, Bali, Indonesia

The Moon of Pejeng is a bronze kettle drum 186.6 cm high with a tympanum 160 cm across, kept at Pura Penataran Sasih in Pejeng village, Gianyar, Bali. Its shape resembles a dandang, with a narrow waist and an open lower end; the striking plate is about 25 cm wider than the supporting wall. It is the largest single-cast bronze kettle drum in the world.

The drum was made by the Dong Son people around 300 BC during the Bronze Age of Southeast Asia. It demonstrates the advanced metalworking skills that existed in these ancient cultures.

The drum connects to early rice farming rituals practiced in the surrounding valleys and represents how bronze played a role in religious ceremonies. It shows what mattered to farming communities in ancient Bali beyond daily survival.

The drum sits in a raised pavilion that stands out in the temple layout, making it straightforward to locate. Plan to spend time examining the surface and details up close, as the craftsmanship rewards careful observation.

Europeans first documented this drum in writing in the early 1700s, long after it had already become an important object in Balinese culture. This reflects how ancient local knowledge sometimes enters global awareness through outside sources.