Tirta Empul : Possibly The Holiest Temple In Bali

Tirta Empul Temple, or Pura Tirta Empul as the locals called it (Pura means Temple), is an important temple complex and holy mountain spring, located in the village of Manukaya near the town Tampaksiring, which is not too far away from central Ubud. Founded in 926 A.D. and is dedicated to Vishnu, the name Tirta Empul means ‘holy water spring’ due to a holy spring within the temple which feeds various purification baths, pools and fish ponds surrounding the outer perimeter. The water flows to the Tukad Pakerisan River, the river that rushes Gunung Kawi which is about 1km away.

Tirta Empul

For over a thousand years, Balinese Hindu worshipers have been drawn to Pura Tirta Empul, whose sacred springs are said to have been created by God Indra and possess curative properties. This tradition still continues to this day, where local pilgrims frequently come to pray and bathe in its refreshing blessed water. Due to its popularity, foreign tourists also come to marvel at its beauty, and some even went as far as joining the purification ritual. 

Structure and Layout of the Temple

Tirta Empul is a fairly large temple complex, and it should take you approximately 30 minutes to an hour to explore the entire site. There are four sections to the temple, consisting of three courtyards (Jaba Pura, Jaba Tengah and Jeroan) and a koi pool at the exit.

The inner complex of the temple

Right in front of the parking area is the information and ticketing counter, where you can buy your entrance ticket from. As at August 2018, the ticket price is RP 15,000 per person. After getting your ticket, you will then walk through a lush gardens and pathways adorned with statues and tropical plants that lead to its entrance.

The garden as we walked into the temple complex

As with all the other temples in Bali, you need to cover your legs with sarong to be allowed in, and this rule applies to both men and women. This is provided for free outside the entrance if you don’t already have one. Although you can definitely enter without a sarong if you are wearing long pants, I do like donning the beautiful sarong as it looks much better in the photo.

Candi Bentar

Our walk in the templex complex went in an anti-clock-wise direction, where we enter through the entrance on the right, then proceeded to the central courtyard and inner courtyard, then turned around to the koi pool before the exit which is at the left of the entrance.

Jaba Pura (Outer Courtyard)

As soon as you enter temple, you will walk through the large Candi Bentar (or what we tourist like to refer to as Balinese gate), arriving in the “Jaba Pura”, which is the outer courtyard of the temple. Straight ahead as you enter is another Candi Bentar built into the wall that leads to the central courtyard.

Outer Courtyard

aka Jaba Pura

Pilgrims praying in the courtyard

Cloudy day it was

Jaba Tengah (Central Courtyard)

The central courtyard of Tirta Empul, or what the local called “Jaba Tengah”. The first thing you’ll see two rectangular-shape purification pools. This is the most famous spot in Tirta Empul and perhaps the photo you have seen a lot on the internet. A total of 13 sculpted water spouts line the edge from west to east. Local Balinese and Hindu worshippers stand in long lines in the pools waiting to dip their heads under the water spouts in a purification ritual known as 'melukat'. The ritual begins with the pool on the left side, as pilgrims stand in the pool to the waist under the first water spout. With hands pressed together, the bow under the gushing water of the first spouts, repeating the same from the first to the eleventh. There last two spouts are meant only for cleansing the dead and are for prohibited to be used by the living for the 'melukat' ritual.

Jaba Tengah

Purification pool

Local Balinese and Hindu worshippers stand in long lines

I was tempted to try out the purification bathing ritual myself. However, as this is one of the holiest thing to do here in Bali, I was afraid that any mistakes done would be seen as a disrespect. If you are really interest with the bathing ritual, do consult your guide or the staffs here before going into the pool. I decided to skip the hassle and just watch from the side as local pilgrims did their purification ritual.  

Jeroan (Inner Courtyard)

Behind the purification pools is the final section of Tirta Empul holy water temple, called the “Jeroan”, or the inner courtyard. It’s often overlooked by tourists who are only here for the purification pools, so it’s much less crowded and is a good stroll around this praying area. The front part of the courtyard is where the holy spring is. The spring which feeds the purification pool is filled with green algae and small fish swimming among the reeds. The green colour of the water is actually from the algae and reflection of tree leaves. The holy water is actually crystal-clear.

Holy Spring

My tired face for waking up early for our hike

Behind the holy spring is large Hindu shrines which are brightly decorated. I was wearing white that day, which contrasts well with the shrines, and coincidentally, I was told that local Balinese wears white clothing too when they visit a temple for praying.

Hindu shrines

Signature colour of black and gold

White does stand out

The Koi Pond

We exited the inner courtyard through the side gate and walked into the final section which leads to the exit. This section of the temple is walled off on all four sides from the rest of the complex. There is a large koi pond in the middle, where fat kois swim lazily in the pond waiting to be fed by tourists. I believe you can buy some bread from the small stalls next to the koi pond which can be used for feeding. There are also restaurants and small stalls selling souvenirs and handicrafts.

Koi pond

Fat kois spotted

With one obligatory photo in front of the exit gate, we ended our DIY tour in Tirta Empul and rode away to our next stop – Tegallalang Rice Terrace.

Last photo before we left

Bonus: The mystical tale of God Indra and Evil King Mayadenawa

As with many other sites throughout the region, there is an interesting story behind the creation of Tirta Empul – the legend of an epic battle between a powerful and magical king named Mayadenawa and the God Indra.

Legend has it that Mayadenawa possessed the spiritual power to transform himself into any form he desired. However, as time passed the evil king became greedy and began using them for black magic. Answering to the prayer of a priest named Sang Kulputih, God Indra decided to put an end to the evil king and defeated Mayadenawa and his forces. Mayadenawa's defeated troops abandoned the king while running for their life.

As revenge, Mayadenawa snuck into God Indra's camp when the army was sleeping and created a beautiful but poisonous pond that the army would drink from upon waking up. When Mayadenawa crept into the camp, he walked on the sides of his feet so as not to leave footprints. This is believed to be the origin of the name “Tampak Siring” with tampak meaning feet and siring meaning sideways.

In the morning God Indra awoke to find many of his men dead and others were sick and dying. Through his mighty power, God Indra pierced the ground with his staff, creating the sacred healing springs of holy water to cure his men, and even managed to revive the dead ones. This holy spring is what came to be known as Tirta Empul.

God Indra continued to chase after Mayadenawa and as the evil wicked king transformed himself into a boulder, Indra shot an arrow through it, pierced and eventually killed the evil king. The blood of Mayadenawa that gushed from the boulder is believed to have formed the Petanu River, and for over a thousand years, the river was cursed making rice to grow rapidly, but having an awful reek and tainted with blood. The Hindu Balinese commemorate the death of Mayadenawa every 210 days in the Balinese traditional calendar as the day when virtue triumphs over Evil in a ritual and ceremony called Galungan.

Cost

The entrance fee is RP 15,000 for an adult and RP 7,500 for a child. If you ride a motorbike, the parking fee is RP 2,000.

How to get there

Tirta Empul is 35 minutes north from Ubud main street. The visit to Tirta Empul can be combined together with Pura Gunung Kawi and Tegallalang Rice Terrace which are respectively 5 and 15 minutes away. 

Renting a scooter is a wonderful way to see Ubud. We rented a scooter for two days through our hotel for RP 100,000. A one-day rental will set you back for RP 70,000. If you can’t ride a motorbike or travelling in a large group, hiring a driver is another popular way of going around Bali. Price varies between RP500,000 to 600,000 per day, including petrol and parking fees.

We hired a driver for RP 500,000 on the last day of our trip to cover the area of Bedugul. Do contact our driver, Joe for more information - Facebook:  Bali Driver & Tour Organizer | Whatsapp / Wechat: +62 813-3741-2185

Best Time to Visit

The temple is opened from 9am to 5pm daily, but women who are having their period are prohibited from entering. Many recommended to visit in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid tourist buses. We happened to visit during lunch hour, which was not too bad either. Perhaps the crowd had left for lunch?

Epilogue

Like many reckon, Pura Tirta Empul is indeed a temple worth visiting in Central Bali, especially if you are around Ubud. The proximity to Ubud main streets make this a convenient temple to check out. Besides, it’s one of the holiest temple in Bali and you can feel the vibe once you are there. If you have time, do also visit the neighbouring temple, Pura Gunung Kawi which I’ve heard many good things about.

We were short of time that day as we spent the first half of the day hiking Mount Batur. And while you are at it, don’t forget to stop by Tegallalang Rice Terrace on your way back to Ubud, and perhaps, you could add a couple of waterfalls into your itinerary too? Have fun exploring! 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PIN IT FOR LATER!