Tirta Empul Temple, Tampak Siring

Tirta Empul Temple is one of the many sacred sites in Bali. It is located in in Tampark Siring. According to Usana Bali, an ancient Balinese manuscript, there was once an evil king named Maya Denawa who did not believe in god, and objected to the people worshipping gods. The gods sent a punishment in the form of the warriors of Bhatara Indra, who arrived to attack Maya Denawa and overthrow him. However, Maya Denawa poisoned the warriors and they lay dead. Seeing this, the god Indra pierced the earth to create a spring called amerta. When the water was sprinkled over the dead warriors, they became alive back. This water source is believed to be the source of life and prosperity to this day. That's how the temple of Tirta Empul got started.

Temple inscriptions mention that Tirta Empul was constructed in 960 AD, when the king Chandrabhaya Singha Warmadewa ordered its construction. While this place was not of any particular interesting to the ancient Balinese kings, it attracted the attention of President Soekarno, the first Indonesian president, who built his presidential villas just west side of the temple. This villa has made the name of Tampaksiring well known around the world.

Tirta Empul is divided into 3 courtyards. At the first courtyard is also a pool for public bathing place. There is a total of 30 shrines in Tirta Empul, with later ones added by the local people who are responsible for the upkeep of the temple. Like most Balinese temples, an odalan ceremony is performed every 210 days.

There is an old stone sculpture at the last courtyard in the form of buffalo. The buffalo is considered the mount of the god Shiwa and the animal is called Nandi in the Hindu pantheon.

Temple carvings

As you visit Tirta Empul, indeed just about any temple in Bali, you'd find the walls ornately carved. The Balinese have a difficult time tolerating unadorned walls. So they fille their temple gates and shrines with carvings and stone statues. But don't expect to find statues of the gods like Vishnu, Shiva or Sanghyang. Their preferred subject matter demons, raksasa (ogres) and evil spirits, with fangs and bulging eyes.

Candi Bentar

Candi bentar, or split gate, is a architectural creation unique to Bali. It has the appearance of a tower that has been sliced into two. While the origin and meaning of such a strange yet impressive feature is uncertain, one Balinese legend has it that they represent the two halves of the mythical Mount Meru, which was split by Siwa to become Gunung Agung and Gunung Batur.

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