legendary since 1928

The classic Hotel Tjampuhan & Spa, built where two sacred rivers meet, has been legendary since 1928. As the first hotel in the artist colony of Ubud, this royal guest house graciously hosted celebrities and foreign painters such as Walter Spies.

The confluence of two rivers, which is called Campuhan by Balinese, has been regarded as holy place for centuries. For Balinese, campuhan is a potent source of holy water for all kind of ceremonial purposes. Campuan is also used as a place for melukat (cleansing body and soul as well as recharging spiritual power).

But campuhan of Ubud where West Wos River meets East Wos River is not just serves as a source of holy water but also source of inspiration for holy men and artists. The significance of the campuhan of Ubud is initiated by Rsi Markandya, a Hindu sage from Java. Rsi Markandya, along with his followers, opened a forest for their settlement, in the confluence of two rivers later known as Campuhan. The waters of Campuhan were later discovered to have the peculiar property to heal sickness. Many people came to have the waters of Campuhan and increased the popularity of this place. In local Balinese language, this healing water is called ubad (medicine). The word ubad has tuned into ubud, and becomes the name of the village where the campuhan resides, Ubud.

In the line with Rsi Markandya many famous artists and musicians of worldwide notoriety drew their inspirations from the natural beauty of the campuhan such as Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet, Colin Macphee, and Noel Coward. Last but not least in this line was Antonio Blanco.

So if you happen to visit Ubud don’t forget to walk down one km west of Ubud, between huge green embankments covered with moss and small plants with crystal clear water dripping on them, and when you find bridges over the river you can be sure that you have arrived at Campuhan; take a look around and go down to the river and enjoy the beauty of Campuhan.