Tirta Empul Temple Bali – The Holy Bali Water Temple

Tirta Empul Ubud is a major temple complex and holy mountain spring in the village of Manukaya in central Bali. The site is the legendary setting of a traditional tale about good versus evil. It’s also a national cultural heritage site.

The complex, built circa 960 AD, is a silent witness to the old Balinese kingdom, particularly at the time of the Warmadewa Dynasty. Another nearby and prominent site on top of a hill is the presidential palace, Istana Tampaksiring, built during the years of the nation’s first president, Soekarno.

Tirta Empul, meaning ‘holy water spring’ is actually the name of a water source that’s located within the temple. The spring feeds various purification baths, pools and fish ponds surrounding the outer perimeter, which all flow to the Tukad Pakerisan River. Various sites throughout the region and many other archaeological relics relate to local myths and legends.

Tirta Empul temple complex comprises 3 key divisions, namely a front, secondary and inner courtyard. Visitors to Tirta Empul first come upon the lush gardens and pathways adorned with statues and tropical plants that lead to the entrance. After stepping through this candi bentar (temple gate), a vast walled courtyard welcomes visitors to the bathing pools where a large wantilan meeting hall stands to the right.

Inside the central courtyard or madya mandala, pilgrims first approach a rectangular purification bath where a total of 13 elaborately sculpted spouts line its edge from west to east. After solemn prayers at an altar-like shrine, they proceed to enter the crystal-clear, cold mountain water. With hands pressed together, they bow under the gushing water of the first spout, carrying on to the 11th. The water from the last 2 of the 13 spouts is reserved for purification purposes in funerary rites only.

The myth behind the curative and purifying spring tells of a Balinese ruler, known by the title Mayadenawa, who is depicted to have defied the influence of Hinduism and denied his subjects religious prayers and practices. The legend goes that this eventually angered the gods, and in a campaign, god Indra sought Mayadenawa’s subdual.