tourists guide to visiting temples in bali

One of the main reasons behind Bali being called as the Island of Gods is the beautiful temples and worship places. Visiting holy sites is a very common activity for tourists whether domestic or foreign. Same is the case for the tourists visiting Bali, as they regularly make their way in to exploring Bali's Hindu cultural Temples.

However visiting holy sites comes with a lot of responsibility, consideration and respect towards the local culture. While most tourists make sure they do not do anything that can be seen as offensive some end up being disrespectful intentionally or unintentionally. There have been an increase in the number of such incidents, the czech couple incident is the most famous one in the last few months. They did apologize and perform a cleansing ritual. 

So if you are planning to visit a temple in Bali, here are the things that you need to take in consideration and follow, shared by I Gede Pitana, a professor at Bali's Udayana University, to KompasTravel:

1. Division of Temples in Three Parts

Temples are divided in to three parts with an importance and rules of their own. First part is Hutama Mandala which is also known as the yard or the middle part. This part is restricted only for those who intend to pray. This part also has different sacred artworks, Hindu deiti symbols and statues. These statues are considered very sacred as they are the manifestation of God in Balinese Hindu religion. 

The second section is known as  Madya Mandala, this part contains the semi sacred artwork including puppets, masks and Barong (lion). This area also works as a kitchen as cooking for the temple events is normally done here. However similar to Hutama Mandala it is also restricted for only those who want to pray.

Third section is called Nista Mandala, it is the most common part of the temple and also the most out most. There is no restriction on the visitors here even for those who don't intend to pray such as tourists. However each temple have their own restrictions and rules for visiting Nisa Mandala so make sure that you read them and acquaint yourself with before entering.

2. Common, Special & Basic Rules for Temple Visitors

Like most holy places in the world for every religion the base rule for entering any temple is to be clean and not dirty physically. It is also known as cuntaka in Balinese language. Cuntaka refers to prohibit women on periods, grieving people who recently lost a family member or people who are bleeding due to wounds or childbirth. 

Be respectful with your clothes and wear non revealing clothes. Your hair should be styled properly too. "Actually, at every temple in Bali you can rent Balinese cloth and a shawl. For men, as long as you are wearing trousers it's okay to only wear a shawl," Pitana said.

One of the most important rule which is basically a common courtesy is to ensure decent conversation & manners at the temple since its a holy place. 

“Cultural heritage must be preserved physically and spiritually; there are ethical guidelines for cultural tourism compiled by the UNWTO. There needs to be a shared awareness to protect it," Pitana added.