Tirta Empul Temple

Located 30 minutes from Ubud- Tirta Empul is a holy water temple.

The entry fee for the temple is 50,000rupiah and everyone is given a sarong to wear around the grounds of the temple. 

While we were there, there was a lot of work going on to set up new bamboo structures for upcoming ceremonies. 

The fountains are surrounded by large walls and there are three gates leading in for entry. There’s locker rentals available for 30,000rupiah a locker (you are not allowed to bring any belongings into the fountain area)- you also rent a different sarong (one that is allowed to go in the water) for 10,000rupiah. 

After changing into our bathing suits and putting on our sarongs we headed for the fountains. Our taxi driver, Gusti (the driver from Happy Bike Cycling Tours), came into the temple with us. As we were waiting in line to go into the pools he explained to us how to properly use the fountains. When you enter the water you stand in front of the fountain and you can say a prayer or set your intentions. Then you splash water from the fountain over your head 3 times, and once over your face. There are 13 fountains that you can repeat this process through-  the last 2 fountains are typically skipped as those are used funerary rites. 

The whole process was very peaceful. Having someone there to explain the rituals and the meaning & beliefs behind the sacred water really added to the experience.