Take part in a water purification ritual in Bali

Water is at the centre of Balinese religion. The island’s form of Hinduism is sometimes called the religion of holy water, and springs, rivers and the sea are all places of worship. Melukat is the ritual of purification by water, performed to cleanse the body and mind before a ceremony, after an illness or a difficulty, or simply at an auspicious time. The best-known place to perform it is Pura Tirta Empul, at Tampaksiring, about half an hour north of Ubud.

What the experience is

The temple was founded in 962 around a large spring that rises clear and strong into a stone basin, and it is dedicated to Vishnu. Legend attributes the spring to the god Indra, who struck the ground to bring forth water that would revive his army, poisoned by a demon king. The compound has three courtyards: an outer one with a pond of carp, a middle one with the bathing pools, and an inner sanctum of shrines around the source itself.

In the middle courtyard, water from the spring pours through a line of carved stone spouts into two long rectangular pools. Worshippers enter the water at one end, wearing a sarong, and move from spout to spout along the row. At each one they pray, rinse the mouth, wash the face and bow the head under the stream. A small number of spouts are passed over, because their water is reserved for funeral rites. Before entering, an offering of flowers and incense is made at a shrine beside the pool.

Visitors are permitted to take part, and many do. The temple lends the sarong and sash that everyone must wear on the grounds, and rents a second, green sarong for bathing. It is important to understand that this is a place of worship in daily use. The courteous way to do it is with a Balinese guide or priest who can explain the prayers and make the offering with you, something most good hotels in Ubud can arrange, sometimes at a quieter spring or water temple instead.

The inner courtyard, where the spring itself can be seen bubbling up through black sand, is open to those who are suitably dressed. On the hill above stands the presidential palace built for Sukarno in the 1950s.

When to go

Go at opening time, around seven in the morning, before the tour groups arrive, when the pools are used mainly by Balinese families. Full moon, new moon and festival days are the most meaningful and the most crowded. The ritual is not performed by women during menstruation, according to temple custom.

Getting there

Tampaksiring is thirty minutes by car from Ubud and can be combined with the royal tombs of Gunung Kawi, cut into the cliffs of the same valley.

Why OKYTO recommends it

Because it gives a direct experience of how the Balinese live their religion, as long as it is approached as participation and not as a photograph. OKYTO’s Bali guide covers the island, and for stays near Ubud see Amandari, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan and Capella Ubud.