WHAT IS TIRTAGANGGA

Tirtagangga royal watergarden is composed mainly by water, plants and sculptures. It is situated in the middle of rice fields around the natural springs of Rejasa, approximately 7 km. (5 miles) north of Amlapura, the main town of east Bali, Indonesia.

Tirtagangga is a well-known cultural object of Bali. It belongs to the Royal family of Karangasem.

 

AIM

Apart from his personal interest, my grandfather built Tirtagangga for 2 main reasons:

- To ensure and improve the holiness of a holy place;

- To create a place of contemplation, rest and joy for every one, the local people as well as the domestic and foreign visitors.

These are still and will always be the purposes of the garden.

 

THE COMPLEX

The area of the watergarden is about 1.2 ha (3 acres), consisting of three levels of ground stretching from east to west. On the highest northern Swah level there are the spring under the Banyan tree, the upper swimming pool and two decorative ponds, one with four fountains reminiscent of Versailles, and the other with Victoria lotuses.

The first thing one sees when entering the garden is the elegant eleven-tiered Nawa Sanga fountain which rises from the middle of the complex. This fountain together with the two ponds forms the middle Bwah level.

The larger lowest Bhur level, on the left side of the straight foot path running from the entrance to the west, is occupied by the big South pond with the long Demon island in the middle.

HOLY WATER

The water from one of the natural springs of Tirtagangga has always been regarded as holy. It is used for religious ceremonies in the temples in the area until today. Tirta means blessed water, gangga came from Ganges, the holy river in India. The holy water is required for ceremonies of the temples in the surrounding as far as Tirtagangga can be reached by foot.

At certain celebration days the people from the villages around will come in colourful processions with offerings, umbrellas, flags and other attributes. Led by their temple priest they hold ceremonies around the spring under the sounds of hymns and the music of the beleganjur.

The springs have a huge output of pure water. The water is first led to a reservoir where it is divided in two parts. One third provides drinking water for the town Amlapura. The remainder goes into the upper swimming pool through an underground pipe. The overflow of water goes into the lower swimming pool, the other ponds and finally to the rice fields.