PURA TIRTA EMPUL
Pura Tirta Empul, Bali, Indonesia
According to old tales, there once lived a demonic king Mayadenawa who possessed the spiritual power to transform himself into any form he desired. As he became careless and used his powers unreasonably a cruelly, the God Indra sent a spy but he was not fooled and a war broke out. During the night, Mayadenawa poisoned the water and consequently also Indra’s soldiers. To heal them, Indra pierced the earth to create a fountain of immortality, the Tirta Empul spring.
Truth or not, Pura Tirta Empul is a silent witness to the old Balinese kingdom as the inscription dates its founding to 926 AD. For more than a thousand years local Balinese and Hindu worshippers stand in long lines in the pools Pengelukatan and Pebersihan, where the holy “amrita” spring gush out through 30 waterspouts. They are waiting to dip their heads under the each spout in a purification ritual known as 'melukat'.
The Tirta Empul Temple includes the traditional Balinese split gate along with shrines to Shiva, Vishnu, Braham, Mt. Batur, and Indra. It is made up of three parts. In the front yard (Jaba Pura) you can see a sacred tree, a statue and you can rent a sarong. Then there is a secondary and central courtyard (Jaba Tengah), which contains the two pools. Last but not least, there is the inner courtyard (Jeroan).
Location: Pura Tirta Empul (Holy Spring in Balinese) is located in the village of Manukaya, near the town of Tampaksiring, in central Bali.
How to get there: by scooter, car or by taxi. It’s only a 30 minute scooter ride from Ubud and you drive up Jl. Raya Pejeng Kawan and Jl. Raya Tampaksiring pretty much straight.
Open: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m
Entrance fee: IDR 50.000 for adult, IDR 25.00 for children
What to wear: sarong (either bring one or rent one there for 10.000 IDR)
For the ritual: if you wish to do riatual, you will need another sarong, which you can again rent there next to pool. Bring also some dry clothes or clothes to bath in. It is recommended to hire a local guide.
Note: 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.
Taidekappeli is located on the island of Hirvensalo, far outside the city. Surrounded by spruces and pines, where the wooded hills rise from the flat fields.