Tirta Empul Water Temple in Bali and how to visit

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Description and is it worth a visit

Tirta Empul Water Temple in Bali

Tirta Empul Water Temple is also sometimes called a pool or a sacred spring, because in the center of this complex there really is a place for ablution with sacred spring water. Actually, Tirtha Empul translates as holy spring.

The place is popular and is among the Top most visited by tourists in Bali, and especially by those who are vacationing in Ubud. They come here to perform ablution regardless of religious views. At least, the servants of the temple gladly accept any believers, but whether to perform ablution for you personally, decide for yourself, depending on your religious preferences. But even if you don't perform the ceremony, it's still worth coming here, because this temple is not only a swimming pool, but also beautiful temple buildings. And it's also interesting to look at the ceremony from the outside.

There are three pools for the ablution ceremony, but one of them is closed to tourists, it is only for true believers. The ceremony for tourists is quite simple: wait in line on the way to the pool, and just plunge into the water, and that's it. It is only important to behave appropriately and be dressed accordingly: modest clothes and a sarong. They also descend into the water in a sarong. Before ablution, you can change into a swimsuit (but still have to wrap up in a sarong) in the common locker room. There is a storage room for things.

For believers and locals, everything is a little more complicated, and ablutions are accompanied by prayers, offerings and certain rules. For example, in one of the pools there are 13 fountains, in the jets of which you need to bathe. But you can not go under the two extreme right, because they are intended for the deceased. If you want, then you can also be offered to go through the ceremony according to all the rules for donating to an individual escort, as a guide. Well, or just repeat everything after the locals, and if you do something wrong, they will tell you.

History and significance of Tirtha Empul

Tirta Empul Temple is one of the most famous and sacred places in Bali. It is believed that it was built in 962 AD during the reign of the Warmadeva dynasty around a large source of groundwater. It is from this source that the Pakerisan River originates.

The temple is divided into three parts:

Jaba Pura — the outer courtyard.
Jaba Tenga is the central courtyard, where there are two pools with 30 showers (fountains). These pools have special names: Pengelukatan, Pebersikhan and Sudamala dan Pancuran Chetik.
Jeroan is the inner courtyard, the most sacred part of the temple.

Tirta Empul pools are considered one of the oldest and most sacred places for swimming in Bali. Their history dates back to the 10th century. According to ancient records, the pools were created by a man named Sri Chandra Bhaya Singha Varmadeva. Locals believe that the water in these pools has healing power.

According to legend, the source was created by the god Indra. The story goes that Indra and his army fought against the evil prince Mayadenava. One night, Mayadenava created a magical spring by poisoning the water. The next morning, Indra's warriors drank this water and fell ill. To save his soldiers, Indra created a new spring with holy water that healed them. Since then, this place has been called Tirta Empul, which means "holy spring".

The temple is dedicated to the god Vishnu, one of the main deities in Hinduism. On the hill above the temple is a villa built in 1954 for Indonesian President Sukarno. Today this villa is used as a vacation spot for important guests.

You can talk very closely with monkeys here

They are the rightful owners here

They have their own pool

And although they sometimes look harmless

They often create outrages

But it's not just monkeys that are interesting here

But also the temple itself

As always, there are many statues

Well, here are the monkeys

And this is the forest part of the park

🕐 Working hours

From 08:00 to 18:00, seven days a week.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price

Adults - 75 000 rupees (4.45 RUB), children – 50,000 rupees (rate temporary unavailable/span> rubles). The price includes sarong rental.

🚶 How to get there

Tirta Empul Water Temple is located 15 kilometers from Ubud and 50 kilometers from Kuta and the airport (Tirtaempul on the map). You can get here only with excursions, by taxi or rented transport. Theoretically, from other resorts you can get to Ubud by regular Kura Kura buses and then transfer to a taxi, but you will lose a lot of time and you will gain little at the price.

You can get here by taxi through the Grab, GoJek, Maxim or InDrive applications. But aggregators' cars are not allowed directly into the temple parking lot, so you'll have to walk a little. Another option is to hire a car with a driver for a full–day trip along the agreed route. It will cost from $ 50 and will actually be a kind of individual tour. Such drivers can be found through travel agencies, hotels, or just on the street, this is generally a very common service in Bali. Learn more about Bali transport and how to navigate instructions here...

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🕒 29 March, 2025