Tirta Empul Holy Spring Temple

Tirta Empul is one of the most important and most moving temples in Bali, and one of the few where visitors can take part in a ritual rather than simply watch. The temple stands in the village of Tampaksiring, north-east of Ubud, around a spring that rises from the ground and has been considered holy for more than a thousand years; tradition dates the temple to the tenth century, and Balinese legend says the god Indra created the spring to revive his army after they were poisoned by a demon king. The water is channelled from the spring into long rectangular pools in the central courtyard, where a row of carved stone spouts pours a steady stream into the basin. Balinese Hindus come here for melukat, a purification bath to cleanse body and mind, before important ceremonies, at full and new moon, or simply when life calls for a fresh start; families arrive in white and gold with offerings, pray, and then wade into the pool to bow beneath each spout in turn. Visitors are welcome to join, provided they follow the customs: wear the green bathing sarong provided, make or buy a small offering if you wish, start at the spout on the far left and move along the row, and skip the spouts that are reserved for funerary rites and for priests, which are marked. The temple complex is larger than the pools: there are inner courtyards with thatched shrines, a pond full of koi, the spring itself bubbling up through sand and stones in a walled basin, and on the hill above, the former presidential palace built for Soekarno, Indonesia's first president. The atmosphere is devotional, busy and sometimes noisy, and it repays a little preparation.

Visiting practicalities: the temple is open daily from around eight in the morning to six in the evening, including ceremony days, and the entry ticket for foreign adults costs under one hundred thousand rupiah, with a lower rate for children. A sarong and sash for walking around the grounds are included or available at the gate; the purification bath requires a separate bathing sarong and a locker, both rented on site. Bring a change of clothes and a towel, and leave valuables at the hotel. Arrive before ten in the morning or after four in the afternoon to avoid the midday rush of tour buses; full moon and new moon days are especially busy with worshippers, which is memorable but crowded.

Etiquette: Tirta Empul is a working temple, not a water park. Move quietly, follow the order of the spouts, do not splash or pose in the pool for long photo sessions, and let worshippers go first. Under Balinese custom, women who are menstruating do not enter temples, and the provincial rules for visitors also keep non-worshippers out of the innermost sanctums. A guide, whether hired at the temple or included in a tour, will explain the prayer sequence and help you prepare an offering, which makes the experience far richer.

How to get there: Tampaksiring is about thirty to forty minutes north-east of Ubud by road and combines easily with Tegallalang, the royal tombs of Gunung Kawi a few minutes away, and the road up to Kintamani and Mount Batur. The Tiqets listings for Tirta Empul are full-day private tours with a guide and driver, including an Ubud highlights day and a sacred temples day with a spiritual cleansing, which take care of the logistics if you do not want to arrange a driver yourself.