Temples Around Ubud: Tirta Empul's Purification Ritual, Goa Gajah, Gunung Kawi and How to Behave

The temples north-east of Ubud along the Pakerisan river are among the oldest on the island and they sit close enough together to see in a morning. They are also working places of worship where ceremonies happen around visitors, not for them, and the difference between a good visit and an awkward one is mostly about knowing the etiquette.

Tirta Empul is built around a spring that Balinese Hindus have considered holy for a thousand years. The central courtyard has two long pools fed by a row of carved spouts, and the melukat purification ritual involves entering the water in a sarong, praying, and bowing under each spout in turn, except the ones reserved for the dead.

Visitors are permitted to take part and many do. If you do, do it properly: use the changing rooms, wear the green sarong provided for the water, follow the sequence from left to right, skip the spouts a local guide tells you to skip, and do not treat it as a swim. If you would rather watch, the walkways around the pools are fine for that.

The temple is busiest between ten and two. Early morning is calm and the light on the water is good.

Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave, is a few minutes from central Ubud: a small meditation cave with a carved demon mouth as its entrance, bathing pools excavated in the 1950s, and a shaded ravine behind. It is quick, and better than its size suggests.

Gunung Kawi is further up the same river: ten shrines carved into the cliff face on both sides of a gorge in the 11th century, reached by a long staircase down through rice terraces. It is the most impressive of the three and the least visited, because of the steps. Budget the climb back up in the heat.

Wear a sarong and sash at every temple; they are provided at the entrance and included in the fee. Cover shoulders. Do not climb on structures, sit on shrines, or stand higher than a priest during a ceremony. Do not step over offerings on the ground.

If a ceremony is in progress, you may usually watch from the side; do not walk through it or between the priest and the congregation. Ask before photographing people praying.

Women who are menstruating are asked not to enter temple grounds. This is a genuine rule here, not a formality, and it is respected quietly rather than policed.