It is not known when the springs started to flow at the place now called Tirtagangga, but judging by the banyan tree, which is usually planted near holy places, they may have been there for as long as 300 years. To this day the spring water is used as holy water for many ceremonies.
The religious function of the spring, the cool climate and the scenic beauty of the surrounding hills inspired the late King of Karangasem, Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem, to build recreational water gardens for himself and his people, which he started in 1948. Making water gardens of all sorts had always been his hobby. He not only did all the designing himself, but also worked together with his labourers, digging in the ground, standing knee-deep in the water, dirty with mud. It was always a great surprise for visitors, after watching the work in progress for a while, to discover the tiny figure of the Raja among the workers. People liked it, and it was one of his many charming traits.
Construction began around January 1948 and was completed around September 1948, after which the garden was officially used by the Royal Family as a resting place. It is still used today for the welfare of the Royal Family and by the local residents of Ababi, Temega and Pladung for Tirta Yatra religious activities.
In 1963 Mount Agung erupted, with many earthquakes that destroyed most of the buildings and ponds in the park. The entire royal family and the community of Karangasem sought refuge in other, safer areas of Bali. When the calamity was over after about ten months, the Raja returned, only to find his beautiful garden in ruins. There was no money to rebuild the ponds and structures. With the introduction of the Land Reform Bill the Rajas, like all other great landowners, had lost their means for extravagant undertakings. The rehabilitation of Tirtagangga could only be done in a very frugal and haphazard manner.
In 1966 the Raja died of a stroke at the age of 87. After his passing the Water Gardens belonged to his 10 sons. To preserve the family heritage, the gardens and the special architecture pioneered by the Raja of Karangasem became part of the family property, “Druwe Tengah”. Unfortunately the family had no funds to continue maintaining the place, and it struggled even after deciding to start charging guests to enter the gardens.
From 1979, after a long period of duty abroad, one of the late King’s sons, Dr. Anak Agung Made Djelantik, supervised the rehabilitation of the garden. With a slight increase of the entrance fee in 1985 and donations of his own money, a little could be accomplished. An arrangement was also made with the local water company (PDAM) to use part of the spring water for Karangasem’s town supply, which helped to renovate the upper swimming pool. Little by little the water gardens came into better shape and became known in the world of tourism.
In 2002, with the help of several foundations and donors, initiated by Dr. A.A. Made Djelantik and further managed by his son, A.A. Widoera Djelantik, an architect, the gardens could be renovated more intensively, step by step according to a master plan drawn up at the time. After several years of hard work, A.A. Widoera, assisted by other members of the Royal Family, managed to bring back the beauty of the Royal Garden, Taman Tirtagangga.
Since mid-2018 the gardens have been managed by another member of the Royal Family, A.A. Made Kosalya, together with a management and operations team of about 40 people.