Telaga Tista: The Miracle of Holy Water and Spiritual Heritage
In the village of jungutan, Sibetan Karangasem regency has a holy spring called telaga tista. This place is a place of flushing or studying the Batara Istri Idea of Panti Temple, Puseh Temple and Bangkak Temple, as well as the purification of the Batara Idea of all Dadia around Telaga Tista. So far there is no written history of the formation of Lake Tista. Both in the form of inscriptions and ejections that mention the beginning of the existence of this tista lake. The formation of this tista lake is only based on stories passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.
According to local legend, it is said that there is a story about the Sibetan people who interacted with an old man who brought water in a container of taro cantung leaves. Although the man offered his water for sale, residents refused on the grounds that there was no need to buy water in taro leaves.
However, this old man did not give up and offered a deal to the citizens. He asked if they would be willing to hold a religious ceremony every year if he could make a spring appear in the place. The residents, initially skeptical of this offer, eventually agreed after learning that the type of ceremony in question was usaba ketipat or usaba kebo.
Telaga Tista (Source Photo : Editor Collection)
With the consent of the citizens, the old man poured the water from the taro leaves on the ground, and suddenly, spring water appeared in the venue. This miracle impressed the citizens and they fulfilled their promise by holding usaba ketipat every year and usaba kebo every ten years.
These emerging springs are very valuable to the community, and are used for various purposes such as religious ceremonies, fulfillment of daily needs, and irrigation. Seven traditional villages, namely Sibetan, Macang, Bungaya, Asak, Timbrah, Prasi, and Tenganan, have the obligation to hold usaba ketipat or usaba kebo ceremonies. In addition to usaba ketipat and usaba kebo, there is also a piodalan ceremony held every Buda Wage Klawu, as well as usaba bangkak every 25 years at Pura Bangkak, which is closely related to Telaga Tista Temple.
Telaga Tista (Source Photo : Editor Collection)
The water in Telaga Tista is considered sacred, and there is also a temple used in various religious ceremonies. This temple is also a destination of tirta yatra for Hindus. Therefore, local people consider it very important to always hold usaba ketipat and usaba kebo. In addition, sometimes magical events occur around this temple, such as the appearance of large julit fish and black and white snakes that reach hundreds of meters in length.
