Holy Spring Water Temple of Bali

One morning we decided to go visit the Royal Water Temple of Pura Taman Ayun. Our driver took us the on a scenic drive there (Okay, let’s face it…it’s all scenic outside of the city)!

We pulled over on a narrow street in front of some stores and Dewa took us across the street to see this view (not before being hounded by the store owners who wanted us to pay parking fees):

Little kids materialized from out of nowhere, hawking postcards to tourists such as us. At least they were not begging…but it’s also hard to buy something from every kid (and sometimes you worry that the parents are sending their kids out to sell instead of sending them to school), etc.

I don’t know about you…but these kind of views take my breath away!

Next, Dewa drove us to the Tampak Siring Temple, or Holy Water Temple, located in a valley between two hills with big springs that empty into it.

As with other temples, entering in with shorts would be inappropriate. We travel with sarongs, so we all wrapped ourselves in them before entering.

I fell in love with a mossy wall of rocks…

You could tell Maiya was really excited to be here.

Worshipers come here as a place to purify themselves from the bad influences of life. They “shower” themselves with the pure sources of spring water in this temple, and it is believed that they can eliminate all kinds of diseases and give way to new spirits. This temple site dates back to 990 AD. This is the traditional washing pool…

Offerings line the top of the water fountains.

We felt kind of out of place when this man entered the water in white and went through a washing ritual. I wanted to snap a billion photos, but instead just snapped a photo from my waist as we left him in peace.

We then continued to wander through the various structures of the temple.

The Balinese know how to carve stone like perhaps no other culture in world history.

The detail everywhere is immense and meticulous!

Don’t miss the Holy Spring Water Temple on your visit to Bali!

(p.s. If you’re looking for a Balinese taxi driver or tour guide on your visit to Bali – Dewa Arjana is your man! His local cell phone is 6281-2397-0358, his English is great, and his honesty is impeccable!  You will love him!)

My name is Alisa, and I love traveling the world with my adventurous husband and rambunctious 4 small children. I am passionate about beautiful views, meeting new people, and eating vegetables. Most of all, I love making memories with my family, and I enjoy sharing our travels with others!