After Tegenungan Waterfall, my next stop was at the Tirta Empul Temple, also known as Pura Tirta Empul.
Tirta Empul Temple – Bali
The Tirta Empul Temple was first built around 962 AD during the Warmadewa dynasty and is home to “holy springs” and a place Balinese Hindus go to for ritual purification. The temple was dedicated to Vishnu, one of the principal deities of Hinduism.
We arrived at 4:00 pm, an hour before closing time, and found the temple quite busy. Both locals and tourists alike were required to put on a sarong, included (for use while inside the temple) as part of the admission cost ( IDR 50,000). Our guide from the Four Seasons hotel had brought our own sarongs.
In the central yard (Jaba Tengah) is the pool. Pilgrims lined up to wash themselves. The ritual calls for starting on the left side and working your way through the entire series of fountains. I noticed a poor toddler being forced to bathe screaming her head off…I felt so bad for her.
I find these places quite anthropomorphically interesting. As a Christian, I have my own set of traditions and rituals that I practice. Things like eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of the death of Jesus or baptism, which offers a parallel to this ritual though different in not offering any healing power.
I make it a point to visit the houses of worship of other faiths when I travel. I may be one of the narrow-minded ones who believe there is one path to the top of the mountain, not many, but the way our world has tried to make sense of humanity and the environment we live in is always a fascinating study and I set out every day to learn something new.
I don’t believe there is any magic or healing powers in this ritual washing. Nor do I in Christian baptism or the eucharist either. But I love that these rituals bind people together and point toward our search for meaning and answers in a world that is desperate for purpose.
I was thankful to visit this place.
When I went here decades ago, there were no tourists bathing in the pools – just locals segregated into men’s and women’s sections. There were far less people in the water, certainly no lines. I guess I’m glad that the Balinese are open to sharing their culture. However, today it looks far less a religious experience than it used to be.
Matthew – did you go in the pool?
While part of me likes the idea of the local population sharing their culture, the other part of me thinks non Hindus doing it for “fun” while on vacation is disrespectful to the Hindus.
As someone who was raised Lutheran, I would never, for example, take Catholic communion because I happened to be in proximity to a Catholic Church.
Heather,
I am Lutheran too, and before I saw your comment thought of taking this ritual bath for entertainment purposes I felt it was like taking communion without believing in the real presence.
Heather, this is exactly why I could not in good conscience take part in the ritual.
I’ll try to answer this question as a Hindu, although admittedly one that’s a generation removed from most of the traditions, and that doesn’t follow them nearly as closely as I probably should.
The answer as to whether partaking in a ritual like the one described here would be considered offensive is…it depends. There is no blanket rule against non-Hindus visiting holy sites or participating in religious rituals. Some temples and holy sites do restrict non-Hindus, but this is usually because of superstitions the locals have about what happens if a non-believer enters. Some more socially conservative locations in India (i.e. Tamil Nadu and maybe some more rural areas, especially in South India) enforce prohibitions more strictly. Others openly welcome tourists, as this place appears to. In those places, participation in the ritual wouldn’t be considered offensive, provided the non-Hindu behaves in a respectful manner and follows all of the customs involved (and in some cases, there are a LOT of these to follow).
Matthew, if you’re ever interested in hearing more about Hinduism and the traditions that go along with it, I invite you to come visit my mother the next time you have a couple of days in Dallas. She can tell you pretty much everything you ever wanted to know, and probably some things you rather wouldn’t. The price of admission is, you’ll have to agree to eat dinner with your hands.
In this world of anonymous trolls and generally mean people on Social Media, what a lovely & balanced reply by MeanMeosh.
Maybe im becoming a cynic but so pleased to see a good normal and humorous response to a post that is not dripping with either sarcasm, unknown anger or for that matter some form of perceived slight.
Im personally far away in the UAE but will happily take up your offer if i ever pass through Dallas. Your mother must be a lovely cook and seeing how you have been raised a lovely person too.
For some context, MeanMeosh and I have been friends for a decade and I hold a standing invitation to dinner at his mother’s house (with my hands) and BBQ with him. I do intend to take him up on it eventually and now we have an additional element to discuss.
I greatly appreciate MeanMeosh’s comments over the years.
Just as clarification, John 3:1-15 explains JesusChrist teaching Nicodemus religion doesn’t save. Only an individual following the word of God taught in the Bible can reach salvation. What identifies a Christian is the testimony of how their life has gone from carnal to Holy Spirit led therefore producing the spiritual fruits listed on Galatians 5.
My point was that my conception of salvation is by grace through faith…not by any human act of obedience…and furthermore, there is no need to baptize or consume the body and blood in a weekly mass in order to be renewed with grace.
I am tempted to issue you an honorary Lutheran card.
How clean is the Water? I don’t go into anyone’s pool not even in the ocean.
I think you mean anthropologically, not anthropomorphically.