Spring-fed pool in Tirta Empul's courtyard with thatched shrines and tall palms behind

Religious site · Manukaya, Tampaksiring, Gianyar, Bali

Tirta Empul Water Temple

Holy spring temple at Tampaksiring where Balinese Hindus bathe beneath carved spouts

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Ambient sound · similar settingGently lapping water

Photo: Nick Fewings (@jannerboy62) / Unsplash

Discover Tirta Empul Water Temple

Tirta Empul is built around a spring that wells up from the ground in a clear, sand-bottomed pool at the heart of the temple. From there the water is channelled into long stone basins where it pours from carved spouts, and Balinese Hindus queue waist-deep to bathe beneath each one in turn, praying as they go.

Visitors can watch from the edge of the pools, explore the courtyards and shrines, and, with respectful preparation, join the purification themselves. The temple lies in the village of Manukaya near Tampaksiring, about 30 minutes north-east of Ubud, just below the hilltop presidential residence.

Don’t miss

01The bubbling spring pool in the inner courtyard
02Two long purification pools fed by about 30 carved stone spouts
03Carved split gate (candi bentar) and guardian statues at the entrance
04Thatched shrines and pavilions around the courtyards
05A koi pond near the exit

History & culture

The story of Tirta Empul Water Temple

Tirta Empul is traditionally dated to the 10th century, during the Warmadewa dynasty; most sources give 962 CE, while Wonderful Indonesia gives 926 CE. The spring is the source of the Pakerisan River, whose watershed is one of the components of the UNESCO-listed Cultural Landscape of Bali Province.

Balinese tradition, recorded in the Usana Bali manuscript, tells how the god Indra fought the tyrant king Mayadenawa, who poisoned a spring to kill Indra's sleeping army. Indra pierced the ground and created this holy spring, whose water revived his troops. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu. On the hill above stands a residence built for President Sukarno in the 1950s.

Local life & traditions

For Balinese Hindus, Tirta Empul is one of the most important sources of holy water on the island. Families come before ceremonies, after illness or at turning points in life to cleanse body and spirit, often bringing offerings to place at the shrines first. Holy water from the spring is collected for rituals elsewhere, and the temple is busiest on auspicious days in the Balinese calendar.

Things to do

Experience it like a local

Allow 30 minutes to an hour to walk through the outer, middle and inner courtyards. To take part in melukat, change into the sarong provided, enter the pool and follow the line of worshippers from spout to spout, bowing your head beneath each one. Watch how locals do it first, and keep quiet, as this is an act of prayer rather than a swim.

Combine the visit with Gunung Kawi, the rock-cut shrines in the Pakerisan valley a short drive away, the Tegallalang terraces on the road back to Ubud, or the volcano views at Kintamani to the north.

When to go

Tirta Empul is visited all year. Arrive early in the morning for a quieter, more contemplative experience before tour groups arrive. The dry months from about April to October are most comfortable, and the temple becomes particularly busy with worshippers on full-moon days and major festivals, which are fascinating to watch but crowded.

Plan your visit

Verified information

Dress code: Visitors must wear a sarong before entering; sarongs are available at the entrance for a small donation. Source: indonesia.travel ↗
Location: Manukaya village near Tampaksiring, Gianyar; about 14 km north-east of Ubud, roughly a 30-minute ride. Source: indonesia.travel ↗
Purification pools: Spring water flows through 30 spouts into two purification pools; two spouts are reserved for purifying the dead and are not used by the living. Source: indonesia.travel ↗
Ritual: Worshippers perform melukat, a purification ritual, at the temple. Source: indonesia.travel ↗

Checked against the sources on 27 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.

Travel tips

Ask staff which spouts to skip; two are reserved for rites for the dead.
Bring a change of clothes and a towel if you plan to bathe.
Use the green sarong or bathing cloth provided over your swimwear; do not bathe in swimwear alone.
Balinese custom asks women who are menstruating not to enter temple grounds or the pools.
Visit early in the morning for fewer visitors and a calmer atmosphere.

General guidance from our specialists, not official information.

Around Tirta Empul Water Temple: food, markets & places to stay

Stalls selling sarongs, crafts and snacks line the exit route, and simple warung serving Balinese food are found in Tampaksiring. Gunung Kawi's rock-cut shrines are a short drive away, and the Tegallalang rice terraces lie on the road back to Ubud. Most visitors base themselves in Ubud and travel by hired car with driver, taxi app or scooter.