DENPASAR (indo.com): The glorious of Karangasem's kingdom can be felt when you enter Tirtagangga- a water garden, just a few minutes drive or six kilometers a way from the capital of Karangasem. The place contains series of pools and swimming pool fed by a natural spring, it is a place of beauty and solitude.

In 1948, the late Raja of Karangasem, Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem, built a water garden around a natural spring. The spring rises up under a big banyan tree at the foot of a stony hill, on which the local community built their village temple. The religious rite of the spring, the cool climate of the area and the scenic beauty, all inspired the Raja to build a country house nearby with a recreational garden for himself and his people. He called it Tirtagangga from 'Tirta', meaning blessed water, and 'Gangga' from 'Ganges', the holy river in India

The Raja had a hobby of building water gardens, both for recreation and sport. He not only did the designs, he also worked with his laborers digging out the earth, often knee deep in mud. Visitors to the Raja were in for a surprise when discovering the tiny figure among his workers.

The spring provides a large amount water, which at first is lead into a reservoir, from where it is split into two. A third goes to provide drinking water for the town of Amlapura while the rest goes through an underground pipe and emerges into an upper swimming pool through the mouth of a raksasa (a demon) who watches the bathers from the corner of the pool. The overflow then goes into a lower swimming pool, then small fish ponds, yet another swimming pool and finally into the adjoining rice fields.

The water of Tirtagangga has always been regarded as holy and is often used for religious ceremonies in the temples of the surrounding area. On certain celebration days, the people come in colourful processions with offerings, umbrellas, flags and other tributes. Led by their temple priest, they hold ceremonies around the spring, accompanied by the sounds of chants and music of the 'Beleganjur'. This is a band of musicians each holding a small gong. Each player strikes one different note on the musical scale, all blending in harmony.

The gardens cover an area of 1.2 hectares (about four acres). The country house has been partly converted into a restaurant and four bungalows for rent.