Local and global partnership help preserve Tanah Lot Temple

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.