Tirta Empul Temple was discovered around 926 AD, during the Warmadewa dynasty from the 10th to 14th centuries. The name of the temple comes from the name of a spring called “Tirta Empul”. There are many myths circulating in Balinese society about the origin of Tirta Empul. The main uniqueness of the Tirta Empul temple lies in the natural springs inside the temple area. The water from this spring is used by the Hindu community, for bathing to purify themselves and ask for holy tirta. The god who is worshiped at Tirta Empul Temple is God Indra. This spring is named Tirta Empul which means a holy spring that rises from the ground. Then, around the spring area a temple was built to worship the god Indra which was named Pura Tirta Empul. Inside the Tirta Empul temple area there are two large pools with lots of water fountains. The water is waist-deep for an adult. The water in the pool is very clear and cool. It is in this pool area that Hindus perform a self-purification ritual by wetting their bodies and heads under running water. There are 26 showers. With the division of 22 showers lined up from east to west facing the south side and 4 showers are on the east side of the pool lined up from north to south. Before carrying out self-purification in the bath, Hindus will set the cymbals in each bath. The function and name of each holy water is different, there are showers named Tirta Sudamala, Tirta Penglukatan, and Tirta Panegtegan.

• opening hours seem to change on a regular basis. We arrived at 8am and the temple was open for entry, however, many websites state that the Tirta Empul temple is open between 9am – 5pm.

the entry fee is 50K IDR per person and can be paid at the entrance booth

if you are planning on doing the purification ritual, expect to pay another 25K IDR for a locker and sarong rental, and another 50K IDR donation if you wish to seek guidance on the ritual

there are a large amounts of restricted areas in the temple that you are not allowed to enter as these are reserved for praying, be sure to respect these rules

As this is a place of worship be sure to dress modestly. The rental of a sarong is included in the price to cover up your legs, but also be sure to wear a shirt with sleeves to cover up your shoulders.