Tirta Gangga Water Palace was built in 1948 by the last Raja of Karangasem, Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem, on the site of a sacred spring. The name means "water of the Ganges" — a tribute to the holy river of India — and the palace was designed as both a royal retreat and a place of spiritual power. The complex is arranged across a series of terraced pools fed by a natural spring at the foot of the eastern slopes of Mount Agung. At its centre stands an eleven-tiered limestone fountain, surrounded by ornate nagas (serpent deities), leaping fish sculptures, and lotus ponds. A series of stepping stones in patterned Chinese ceramic tiles zigzag across the surface of the main pool, where massive koi glide through the crystal-clear water below your feet. The palace was largely destroyed by the catastrophic 1963 eruption of Mount Agung and subsequently rebuilt. Today it remains an active spiritual site as well as one of east Bali's most photogenic attractions. The surrounding highland landscape — rice terraces, clove trees, and distant volcanic peaks — adds to the ethereal atmosphere. Early mornings offer the best light and the quietest conditions.