Dewi a Tirta Empul
Indonesia

Tirta Empul, the sacred spring temple in Bali, has been a place of purification for centuries. Worshippers believe that the water flowing from its fountains has the power to cleanse both body and spirit. Every day, men, women, and children immerse themselves beneath the spouts to wash away negativity, illness, and misfortune, following a ritual unchanged for generations.

At the edge of the pool, I meet Dewi, an Indonesian woman in her forties. She does not join the ritual: instead, she sits with a diary on her lap and sketches. With quick strokes, she captures the faces of pilgrims who, one after another, bow beneath the sacred water.

Her pages become a parallel record: not faith experienced, but faith observed. A different way of preserving the memory of a place where spirituality, tradition, and daily life are deeply intertwined.