Tirta Empul Holy Springs & Purification Rituals

At Tirta Empul, water flows from the earth itself. Built around a sacred spring near Tampaksiring, this temple is famed for its purification pools. Pilgrims and visitors alike line up in sarongs, stepping into cool waters as sunlight shimmers on stone carvings. Each spout carries holy water, and under each one, you bow your head, letting the torrent wash over hair, face, and spirit. The ritual is quiet, personal, deeply moving. Around you, chants rise from priests, flowers float on currents, incense burns gently. Locals explain the meaning — cleansing of past burdens, renewal of body and soul. The water is believed to heal, not only physically but spiritually. Emerging from the pool, droplets gleam like jewels on skin, and you feel lightened, released. The temple itself is beautiful — courtyards of carved stone, shrines wrapped in yellow cloth, offerings of fruit and rice laid in woven palm baskets. Yet its true beauty is in experience: water as blessing, ritual as renewal.