01Indra’s spring
Balinese tradition tells of Mayadanawa, a demon king who forbade the people to worship the gods. Indra came down with an army against him; Mayadanawa poisoned the river from which the army drank, and Indra struck the earth with his staff, and the spring of amrita burst out to revive his soldiers. The water of Tirta Empul is that amrita, and Galungan, the festival of dharma’s victory, is linked to this katha. An inscription records the founding of a holy bathing place here in 962, under the Warmadewa kings.
02The bath of melukat
Inside the middle court lies a long rectangular pool fed by more than thirty carved spouts, each with its own purpose, from general cleansing to the removal of misfortune; a few are kept for particular rites, including those for the dead, and bathers pass them by. Devotees in sarong and sash bring an offering, pray at the first spout, then pass along the row bowing their heads under each in turn. The spring itself wells up in a pool in the inner court, the sand visibly stirring. On the hill above stands a palace built for President Sukarno in 1954, still a state guest house.
The life of this place
- 962The holy bathing place is founded under the Warmadewa kings.
- 1954A presidential palace is built on the hill above for Sukarno.
Tampaksiring, about 15 km north-east of Ubud by road. Sarong and sash are required and can be borrowed at the gate; bathers follow the order of the spouts shown by the temple staff.
