Tirta Empul Temple

Pura Tirta Empul, near the town of Tampaksiring, is one of the most important water temples in Bali and one of the most rewarding to visit. The name refers to the holy spring that rises from the ground here, and the water that flows out of it is regarded by Balinese Hindus as sacred. The spring is also the source of the Pakerisan River, the same river that runs past the royal tombs of Gunung Kawi a short distance downstream.

The temple's origins go back to the 10th century, during the Warmadewa dynasty. An old inscription dates its founding to 882 in the Saka calendar, which corresponds to around 960 CE, and records that the spring water was gathered into pools. Local legend has a more dramatic version, in which the god Indra created the spring during his fight with the arrogant King Mayadanawa. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, and the complex, which covers about two hectares, was renovated in 1969 with new shrines and pavilions.

Like most Balinese temples, Tirta Empul is laid out in three courtyards. You pass through a split gate into the outer yard, then into the central courtyard, where two long rectangular pools are fed by a row of carved spouts. Here worshippers in sarongs queue waist-deep in the water and move from spout to spout in a purification ritual known as melukat, each spout having its own purpose. The inner courtyard holds shrines, pavilions and an altar to Bhatara Indra. On the hill above stands a villa built for President Sukarno's visit in 1954, now used as a rest house for important guests, and the temple is often described as lying below the Presidential Palace of Tampaksiring. In 2017 the former US president Barack Obama visited with his family.

Visitors can watch the bathing from the side of the pools, and many also join in. If you do, treat it as the religious ceremony it is: the spouts are used in a set order, each with its own purpose, so follow the lead of local worshippers and be patient on busy days. Offerings are placed on tables at the entrance to the baths, and you should step around them rather than over them. Ceremony days bring large numbers of Balinese worshippers, when the temple is at its most colourful but also at its busiest.

Allow at least an hour, or longer if you plan to bathe. Tirta Empul pairs naturally with Gunung Kawi, about half a mile away on the same river, and with the Tegallalang rice terraces, a short distance away, on the road back to Ubud.