“Further discussion with the island’s tourist industry will be necessary to consider the proposal. It is high time for us to limit access to our temples. Please use the temples to worship the creator,” and “Temples must function as worship places,” the governor said.
Currently, traders sell various goods, from food to fashion items, outside temples. During odalan, temple anniversaries, the traders pack the temples yards. What was more important, Pastika said, was that nobody could guarantee that all visitors were eligible to enter these sacred sites.
According to Hindu belief, menstruating women are banned from entering temples. Behavior while inside the temple must also be decent and visitors should wear appropriate clothing. A Hindu temple is architecturally and philosophically divided into three zones — the jeroan (the inner part and most sacred site of the temple), jaba tengah (the middle section) and jaba luar (temple yard). Visitors may enter the temple yards, but can not enter the jaba tengah and jeroan according the proposal.