Tirta Empul Temple: Holy Fountain for Clean Themselves Spiritually

Tirta Empul Temple or Tirta Empul Tampaksiring is not just an ordinary temple. People come to Tirta Empul not just to pray, but also to take shower from the holy fountain and clean themselves spiritually. Tirta Empul Temple is special for Hindu people in Bali, it has a long story about how it was built. Legend says it was made by the God to cure the villagers who were poisoned by the evil king in the area. Now, people come to the temple to pray and clean themselves spiritually and of course cure some sickness that they believe caused by black magic power.

Tirta Empul is located in Tirta Empul District, Tampaksiring, Gianyar Regency. It is so close with Gunung Kawi Temple, only 5 minutes riding scooter. Actually, there is also a shortcut from Tegalalang Rice Terrace to Tirta Empul that cuts the time into around 15 minutes. By this, you actually can make a trip to visit these three places in a day and enjoy the view of rice terrace and the spiritual atmosphere of Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi Temple. You can also visit some restaurants that offer you local foods with rice field view near Tirta Empul.

The holy showering or "Melukat" in Balinese is the main thing that people do in Tirta Empul. Even though you are not locals and not even a Hindu, does not mean you can’t try to join the process of the holy shower in Tirta Empul. You can ask the local guide on how to do the rituals and they will tell you what to do clearly.

People in Bali still believe in black magic and one way to cure it is with holy shower, and Tirta Empul is one of the places to do it. There are also a lot of places in Bali to do "Melukat", but Tirta Empul is still being the favorite among them. People who do "Melukat" or holy shower in Tirta Empul is not only because of black magic, they also do it to clean and calm themselves spiritually, that is why a lot of people go to this place especially in a special day like full moon or other ceremony days.

Tirta Empul is divided into three areas of places, Jaba Pura or the front area, Jaba Tengah or the middle area and Jeroan or the main area. Jaba Pura is where you can see the gardens, Jaba Tengah is the location of the holy showers and Jeroan is where people praying before and after doing the holy shower. You can also find a big pond full of fishes near the holy shower.

In the parking area, you can find a lot of shops sell souvenirs. The way to Tirta Empul also leads you to Kintamani. So by going to Tirta Empul, you can choose your next destination, you can visit Gunung Kawi, Tegalalang or go to Kintamani in the north.