Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu

Not to be confused with the 11th-century rock-cut shrines of Gunung Kawi near Tampaksiring, Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu is a spring temple in the rural village of Sebatu, north of Ubud. Holy water rises here and fills a series of ponds, fountains and bathing pools set among shrines and flowering gardens.

The temple sees far fewer visitors than Tirta Empul, and much of its charm lies in that calm. Balinese still come to bathe in the pools for melukat, ritual purification, so treat it as a place of worship rather than a water garden.

The road drops steeply into the hollow, and as it turns you suddenly see the whole complex of ponds and shrines spread out below; stop carefully for a photo before continuing down to the entrance.

Steps lead down into the temple. The first large pool, on your left, holds a statue of a four-armed goddess standing on a swan and holding a stringed instrument, the iconography of Saraswati, surrounded by water spouts. Koi swim in the clear pools, and there are separate bathing pools for men and women on the left side of the temple. If no one is bathing you may look from the edge, but don’t photograph bathers. Those who wish to bathe must wear a sarong, bring an offering and pray first.

On the upper terrace stand shrines to various gods and spirits, many on old brick bases that have been rebuilt and carved anew. Long trousers, a skirt or a sarong are required to enter.

Sebatu lies about 45 minutes’ drive north of Ubud, beyond the Tegallalang rice terraces. A taxi or driver is easy to arrange, but the ride is scenic enough that many visitors prefer to go by scooter. The temple combines well with Tegallalang, Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi on a day loop.

Sebatu is a village of rice farmers and woodcarvers, with temples seemingly at every turn and carving workshops attached to family compounds. The drive up from Pujung and Tegallalang winds past rice terraces and small carving villages, and it is one of the prettiest rides north of Ubud. Buying directly from a workshop is a good way to find a carving and meet its maker.

The village takes its name from the legend of Mayadenawa, the demon king who declared himself a god and forbade the worship of others. The god Indra defeated him, and as he fled through the forest, changing shape to escape, he slipped on a stone and died. The spot was called Sauhbatu, from sauh, “slip”, and batu, “stone”, which became Sebatu. The same struggle is said to have created the holy spring at Tirta Empul.