Local and global partnership help preserve Tanah Lot Temple

By Rita A.Widiadana

TABANAN, Bali (JP): For Made Deka and his colleagues at Beraban village in Tabanan, some 15 kilometers south of Denpasar, Pura Tanah Lot is not only one of the most sacred and holiest Hindu temples but also a blessing from God.

"We are lucky to have the temple here, it is our obligation to preserve it," said Made Deka, customary chief of Beraban.

Tanah Lot is a very important temple for the Balinese Hindu community as it was used as a sacred transit place for Dang Hyang Nirartha, presumed to be the first Hindu priest from Majapahit Kingdom in East Java, on his holy trip (tirtha yatra) around the island of Bali estimated to have taken place between the 15th and 16th century.

The island of Tanah Lot, on which the temple stands, has not remained untouched however. Due to relentless sea erosion, the small island is now separated from the main island of Bali.

Pura Tanah Lot has now become a religious, cultural and tourist destination. Hundreds of visitors come to the site every day to view the astonishing beauty of the site's panorama, the architectural style of the temple and the amazing sunsets.

In early 2000, the management of Tanah Lot temple was transferred from a privately owned company to Beraban villagers and the Tabanan regional government.

"Thank's to the reform era, we are now taking the responsibility of Tanah Lot's preservation and daily operations," the village chief explained.

Every day, the village receives around Rp 7 million in revenue. It is divided between the regional government of Tabanan, Beraban banjar traditional village and the surrounding area.

"The fund will be used to finance religious and traditional ceremonies and maintain Tanah Lot and several other temples in adjacent areas," explained Made.

During the New Order era, Bali's precious tourist destinations were exploited by local and central government officials as well as private companies who viewed them as their own gold mines.

But one by one, Bali's cultural heritage sites were returned to traditional community groups in each area such as Tanah Lot in Tabanan and the busy business resort, Kuta, near Denpasar.

"It is rather difficult to manage the site dealing with the preservation and restoration of the temple as well as sorting out revenues from entrance and parking tickets," he said.

In l999 alone, more than 1 million people visited Tanah Lot and its surrounding areas.

The influx of domestic and international visitors have threatened the 500-year old temple because of its decaying structure.

Natural Dangers

The existence of Tanah Lot temple is also endangered by natural and biological factors including wind and seawater erosion as well as pollutions.

Seawater erosion occurs on average six times per minute and the intensity varies from two to four tons per square meter. Intensive erosion has affected the lower part of the temple.

Between l984 and l986, some preventative action was undertaken to protect the temple from the harsh erosion. Hundreds of concrete tetrapods weighing on average around two tons, were constructed and placed in front of Tanah Lot hill island. But, assistant minister of culture and tourism Nunus Supardi, who was a former director of archaeology, explained that Tanah Lot is now listed by World Monuments Watch as one of the 100 most endangered monuments and historical sites in the world.

"We are grateful to receive a lot of attention from international world agencies otherwise we wouldn't have enough funds to protect our endangered heritage," said Nunus.

The World Monument Funds with the assistance of American Express has decided to provide financial and technical assistance valued at US$50,000 to be used for a technical study and the renovation of the temple buildings.

The project will include the zoning of areas and site preservation. The zoning system comprises of sanctuary zones for religious purposes, buffer zones and development zones that are to be defined for preservation and utilization purposes in the Tanah Lot cultural heritage complex.

Cultural complex

"Tanah Lot and its surrounding temples will be clustered into the Tanah Lot cultural heritage area. There will be no more development projects in the areas," warned Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Anom, director general for history and archaeology.

It is fortunate that Bali's provincial government and international agencies such as the Japanese Bank Corporation are also jointly implementing a project totaling $8,300,000 (Rp 66,500,000) to safeguard the temple from seawater erosion.

The provincial government of Bali has received overseas soft loans from the World Bank and other international donor agencies designated for the construction of new tetrapods that weigh between 5.75 and 14.5 tons.

The 14.5-ton tetrapods will be planted in front of the temple exposed to the sea waves, while the 5.75-ton tetrapods will be placed at the rear side of the temple.

By utilizing this method the newly placed tetrapods will reduce the intensity of sea erosion by up to 50 percent.

All physical construction will be done by local people under the assistance of foreign consultants, Nunus added.

Without the help of local villagers and international donor agencies, the renovation and preservation of one of Bali's valuable heritage sites would not be possible.