Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Tampaksiring (Indonesia). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Tirta Empul, Gunung Kawi, and Tampaksiring Palace. Also, be sure to include Moon of Pejeng in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Tampaksiring (Bali).
Table of Contents
Tirta Empul
Hindu temple in Indonesia. Tirta Empul temple is a Hindu Balinese water temple located near the town of Tampaksiring, Bali, Indonesia. The temple compound consists of a petirtaan or bathing structure, famous for its holy spring water, where Balinese Hindus go to for ritual purification. The temple pond has a spring which gives out fresh water regularly, which Balinese Hindus consider to be holy or amritha. Tirta Empul means Holy Spring in Balinese.[1]
Address: Jl. Tirta, 80552 Kabupaten Gianyar
Gunung Kawi
Hindu temple in Indonesia. Gunung Kawi is an 11th-century temple and funerary complex in Tampaksiring north east of Ubud in Bali, Indonesia. that is spread across either side of the Pakerisan river. It comprises 10 rock-cut candi that are carved into some 7-metre-high sheltered niches of the sheer cliff face. These funeral monuments are thought to be dedicated to King Anak Wungsu of the Udayana dynasty and his favourite queens. On the east side there are five temples that are dedicated, according to one theory, to King Udayana, his queen Mahendradatta, and their sons Airlangga, Anak Wungsu, and Marakata. The temples on the west side are dedicated, according to the same theory, to the king's minor queens or concubines.
Inscription: on the north shrine (east side) a legible inscription reads: "Haji Lumahing Jalu," meaning "the king made a temple here."[2]
Address: Pakrisan River, 80552 Tampaksiring
Tampaksiring Palace
Also known as: Istana Tampaksiring
The Tampaksiring Palace is one of 6 Presidential Palaces of Indonesia, it is located in Tampaksiring, Gianyar Regency, Bali. Built in 1957 and finished in 1963, unlike other presidential palaces of Indonesia that mostly were inherited from the colonial period of Dutch East Indies, Istana Tampaksiring was built after the independence of Indonesia, and built not in colonial Indies Empire style, but in modernism combined with elements of Balinese architecture.
The buildings of the complex are scattered around on an area covering 19 hectare. The main palace building are built on a higher ground overlooking Tampaksiring Tirta Empul Temple and Mount Agung.[3]
Moon of Pejeng
Also known as: Bulan Pejeng
The Moon of Pejeng, also known as the Pejeng Moon, in Bali is the largest single-cast bronze kettle drum in the world. and "the largest known relic from Southeast Asia's Bronze Age period." It is "considered highly sacred by local people." It is thought to be a relic of early rice cultivation rituals.
The drum is 186.6 centimetres (73.5 in) high and the diameter of the tympano is 160 centimetres (63 in). It is kept at Pura Penataran Sasih Temple in Pejeng, near Ubud, in the Petauan River valley which, along with the adjacent Pakerisan River valley, forms the heartland of South Bali where complex irrigated rice culture first evolved on the island.[4]