Tirta Empul

Tirta Empul, one of the holiest temples in Bali. Located at Tampak Siring in the regency of Gianyar. The name means "crystal clear stream" and indeed, a stream runs through it. But the star attractions here are the hot springs tat bubble eerily in the central courtyard.

According to legend, when the evil king Mayadenawa oppressed Bali and banned all the religious rites, the locals secretly prayed for the God of War, Indra, to come rescue them. Indra duly appeared with a cohort of heavenly troops and Mayadenawa fled before the sight, but he snuck back during the night and poisoned the water that Indra's army drank from. The army duly fell sick, but when Indra notice this, he created the springs of Tirta Empul and used it to heal his troops, who resumed their battle with Mayadenawa and eventually managed to kill him. The tyrant's death is commemorated in the yearly festival of Galungan, when the sacred Barong Lion dance masks are bathed in the healing waters of Tirta Empul, and the Balinese themselves come here to bathe and purify themselves physically and spiritually.

While archaeologist have dated the complex back to 960, in earthquake-prone Bali the buildings are all modern reconstructions. Visitors are not allowed beyond the man courtyard, but from here you could access the bathing pools and visit all the main shrines to Brahma, Shiva, Krishna, and of course, Indra himself. The toughest gauntlet, though, awaits when you leave - the only way out to back to the parking lot leads through a labyrinth of souvenirs shops.