Hindu News - Bali's Hindus lash out at Jakarta's sacred temple tourism plan

Leaders from Bali's Hindu community have slammed a plan by the Indonesian government to attract more tourists to their most sacred temple.

The Indonesian Hindu Association says plans by Jakarta to include the Besakih temple and the volcano upon which it sits on the officials list of sites to be developed would be "degrading" to Hinduism.
"These sites are the centre of the universe for us Balinese Hindus, and we are worried that by making it an official tourist destination, our spiritual lives will be disrupted," association head Ngurah Sudyana told AFP.
"We are concerned that our spirituality will be degraded and exploited if these sites are just seen as commercial."
The temple is situated on the eastern part of the resort island and is less crowded than the major tourist areas of the south.
Sudyana said he was concerned that the government's plans would change this.
"We are worried big buildings for accommodation and entertainment will be erected," he said.
The Besakih temple and the volcano have been included in a list of 88 destinations across Indonesia slated for development for tourism over the next 15 years.
The temple known as "mother temple" by Hindus in Bali, is a huge stone complex which sits 1000 metres up on the side of Mount Agung, which is also considered to be sacred.
Indonesia's Tourism Ministry, however, has defended the plan and said it plans to hold consultations with Bali's religious leaders to address their concerns.
"We are trying to conserve strategic tourism destinations, not cause any disruption to them. It will certainly bring benefits to the communities," ministry spokesman Noviendi Makalam said.
"There will be no major developments there without consultations with the community first."
The list was first drawn up in 2011 but Hindu leaders have spoken out amid growing unease on Bali about the pace of development.

Courtesy: Australian Network News