Bali Tour Guide

Pura Tirta Sudamala is located in Bangli regency. It is a place for the Balinese to do a purification ritual or spiritual cleansing.  The Balinese believe that there should be a balance between physical and spiritual body. When the body is dirty, we can wash it with water and soap. When the spirit needs cleansing, the Balinese would perform a ritual called melukat or spiritual cleansing. In this temple, the ritual is started by praying to the God led by a pemangku in a little temple close to the holy spring. Next step is to go down to the river and wash oneself. Finally, going to each of the fountain located just by the river. After being blessed with holy water by the pemangku, the ritual is done. Here the Balinese will wear their dry clothes again and once again go to the main area of the temple to pray. Finally, it is done. They will go home feeling  spiritually cleansed. Here is the map where the Pura Tirta Sudamala is located.

Sooner or later you will spot this; a cigaratte on an offering while staying in Bali. When you ask the local why they put cigarette on the offering, you wil probably don't get straight forward explanation. Instead, you will get a blank stare as the local say," it is for good luck", "it's our tradition" or "it's been done that way since our great grand parents lived". Ok, now what's the answer to your question? Before we embraced Hinduism about 4000 years ago or so, we already had belief. It's called animism and dynamism. It is a believe to spirit, natural forces and anchestors. So, my history teacher taught me. As we became Hindu, the local beliefs are still retained. What you see now in Bali is a combination of ancient Hinduism (called Tantrayana) and the local belief. So, yea, we pay respect to good spirits, and to our anchestor until to day. We made them shrines in our family temple, in big trees around village temp...