Balinese authorities crack down on temple rules due to 'disrespectful' tourists

  • 21/09/2018
Balinese authorities crack down on temple rules due to 'disrespectful' tourists
Photo credit: Getty

Bali is cracking down on its temple rules in response to 'disrespectful' tourists clambering all over the sacred sites.

Authorities have become concerned about recent rise in disrespectful behaviour from tourists visiting the holiday island's hundreds of sacred Hindu sites, Bali deputy governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Sukawati told The Guardian.

"The temples need to be preserved since they are the spirits of Bali's cultures and customs," he says.

The crackdown was prompted by a viral photo of a Danish tourist sitting on the Linggih Padmasana shrine at Puhur Lutur Batukaru temple. 

The throne shaped shrine is reserved for the most important divinity in Balinese Hinduism.

There are strict blasphemy laws in Indonesia, and the countries Hindu Religious Council say they have instructed police to investigate the shrine incident to find the person responsible.

Bali has quickly become a popular tourist destination with over 5 million visitors flocking there in 2017. 

The island's local government say the huge influx in visitors is having a negative effect.

Newshub.