Preamble

As many of you know, I left a place I called home for the last year and a half. So I thought of writing about some of my best moments and the first thing that came up was the uniqueness of the temples of Bali.

Beyond finding happiness in the simplicity of my daily life in the village, for me, the magic of Bali lies in the countless temples and ceremonies. A magic that wouldn’t have been the same without my friendship with Komang who taught me a lot and was always there to listen to my worries, to help me, to support me and to love me like a Balinese sister. Alongside with her husband Made and their two sons Putu and Kadek, I had found partially what I was looking for: a life in a community where I would feel welcomed.

Balinese temples

Bali has more than 11,000 temples! It’s virtually impossible to list all of them, as each village has three, in addition to the family temples that are located in the courtyard of each house and the major ones visited by locals and tourists.

PURA TIRTA EMPUL
Temple of sacred water on a full moon day

The temple of sacred water is by far my favorite place and the one I had visited most often.

This is where I bring friends visiting Bali to make them live an authentic experience. As soon as I walk into this temple, I feel my energy rising, my mood uplifting, my entire face smiling.

For more than a thousand years (the temple was founded in 962), Hindu families have been going there at least once a year, if not more, to purify themselves.

The particularity of this temple lies in its basin of sacred water which it’s said to have medicinal and purifying virtues.

Whether it’s because I have visitors or because Komang detects that my head is cluttered with worries, we look at the calendar to find out when is the next full moon or new moon, two good days said to do a purification ritual, and we plan our next trip to the Pura Tirta Empul.

For each visit to a temple, Balinese women prepare two different types of offerings. One is a small basket used for praying that is filled with incense sticks and flowers placed in a precise order according to their colors. The other one is a big basket filled with fruits and snacks that will be offered to the Gods.

We usually leave around 9 am. Komang carries the bigger basket on her head and I bring the small one in my hand.  Made and their two sons, Putu and Kadek, are already waiting in the car.

Balinese generally don’t have a car. They always use their motorbike to travel and to carry different stuff. Construction materials, trees, paintings, or the whole family, both parents and the two children, everything and everyone fit on a single motorbike. Made being a taxi driver, he has access to a vehicle and I pay for his service for the one-hour drive to the temple.

When we arrive, the place is still relatively quiet. The majority of Balinese pilgrims come with their families. Tons of incense sticks are burning beside the piles of small baskets of flower offerings. That picture alone transports me every time in a state of peace. I smile. I am at the right place.

 

Balinese Prayer

Before going into the water, Komang puts the basket of offerings for the Gods on the altar, lights a stick of incense and makes a prayer. We then sit down on the ground to pray. Balinese pray by performing a series of symbolic gestures in a specific order. Incense is used to purify the space and ourselves and each flower, by its color, represents the Hindu Trinity (Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Protector and Shiva the Destroyer.) 

Purification ritual

After praying, we are now ready to go into the sacred water basin. The wait can be quite long sometimes. The cool water and the cloudy weather make us shiver. I always like to look at the children sticking on their parents to warm up. “Dingin” (cold), is the word that we share when looking at each other.

The basin has 13 fountains. The ritual consists of praying in front of each fountain, then having three sips of water from the palms of your hands and finally to put your head three times under the fountain in order to clean yourself from the accumulation of tension, stress, and worries.

After the ritual, we put on some dry traditional clothes to return to pray one last time in another section of the temple where pilgrims receive the blessings of a priest.

The energy that reigns here is even more charged with spirituality. A priest clothed in white recites mantras by ringing a bell that resonates mystical, liberating and soothing sounds. The bell cleanses the space and is used by the priest to communicate with the spirits of the ancestors.

At the end of the prayer, the priest sprinkles holy water on our heads three times, pours some water in the palms of our hands that we drink three times, then he gives us blessed rice (which is uncooked and soaked in holy water), that we put on the top of our heads, our foreheads, our necks and behind our ears,  before eating a few grains.  Rice is a symbol of prosperity. Why several gestures have to be repeated three times you may be wondering? The number three refers to the Hindu Trinity (as mentioned above) which represents three distinct and equal divinities forming the same divine source.

Before leaving the temple, we take our basket back from the altar. Now that the Gods have taken the essence of it, we can eat the fruits and the snacks inside the basket!

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I’m in a profound state of bliss and extremely grateful for this moment. Back in the village, I feel radiant and people seem to feel it. They greet me with a “cantik, Nathalie,” which means beautiful, and they ask me where I’m coming from. When I tell them that I was at Tirta Empul, they nod their head sympathetically as a sign of approval and add: “You’re like a Balinese now Nathalie” … Yes, part of me has become:)

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PURA BESAKIH – The majestic mother temple at the foot of the Mount Agung

Considered as the mother temple, Besakih is the most important sacred site of Bali. A visit to this temple is essential for all Hindus on the island during specific ceremonies.

Perched at 1000 meters above sea level, at the foot of the venerable Agung volcano, the place is constantly enveloped with a magical and fresh mist. Balinese believe that Mount Agung is a replica of Mount Meru, the central axis of the Universe. A legend says that Agung is a fragment of Meru brought back to Bali by the first Hindus.

The Agung volcano is still active. Its last eruption dates back to 1963 when more than 1,500 people perished. Surprisingly, the lava stopped only a few meters from the temple. For Balinese, this phenomenon was perceived as a miracle. They saw it as a form of respect from the Gods towards this sacred monument.

The site is quite impressive with its complex of 23 private temples. Unlike any other temples where prayer spaces are common, Balinese families come here to pray only at the temple that has been designated to their families. Of course, one temple is designated to several families from different regions of Bali. For example, Komang told me that she was happy because her family and her husband’s family have the same temple, which is not necessarily the case for everyone.

During important ceremonies, the place is so packed with Balinese coming to pray that they have to line up on the stairs before they can access their temple. Some will even spend the night at the temple, be praying, eating, and chatting with other family members. More than a place of worship, the mother temple holds a special place in the heart of every Hindus in Bali.

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PURA TANAH LOT – Temple of the sea

Pura Tanah Lot is one of the seven temples built along the coast to protect the island of Bali. Legend says that each sea temple is visible from the next, forming a chain all around the island.

It is said that the sea snakes that surround the rocky islet of Tanah Lot are there to preserve the temple from evil spirits. The temple on the islet is only accessible at low tide.

During our visit, we were the only ones dressed in traditional clothing among the large groups of Indonesian tourists and a few Western travelers. Unlike other mainstream temples, visitors don’t have to wear the customary sarong (a long skirt) and sash (fabric belt) except of course for the prayer areas where we went.

Several Indonesians asked me and Komang if they could take a picture of us precisely with Komang holding the basket of offerings on her head. It seems like everyone was questioning Komang about me, wondering if I was part of the family … yes!

The temple of Tanah Lot is definitely more touristic than local and more scenic than spiritual. I liked my day there because it felt different from the other temples – they are all unique in their own way. And who gets tired of looking at this beautiful scenery, taking selfies, sitting in the grass or near the water eating snacks with their beloved family?

 

***

Three temples, many souvenirs.

In fact, when I think about it, the chapter of my life in Bali was one of peace, tranquility, well-being, calm, meditation … exactly like the moments spent at the temples.

May this article infuse you with the mystical energy of Bali by putting you in a state of grace.

Happiness and serenity,

Nathalie