How Does Religious Site Etiquette Work in Indonesia?
Last verified: 2025-06 · Asia
1The Quick Answer
Remove shoes and cover up at all religious sites; sarongs are always required at Balinese Hindu temples; Borobudur and Prambanan require modest dress and charge entry fees.
2What You Need to Know
Indonesia is home to the world's largest Muslim population alongside significant Hindu (Bali), Christian (East Indonesia, Flores, parts of Sulawesi), and Buddhist communities. At mosques, non-Muslims are generally welcome outside prayer times — remove shoes, cover shoulders and legs, and women should cover their hair. At Balinese Hindu temples (there are over 700 in Bali alone), a sarong and sash are mandatory and are usually provided at the entrance for a small fee. The UNESCO sites of Borobudur (Buddhist) and Prambanan (Hindu) near Yogyakarta charge entry fees and require modest dress. Menstruating women are traditionally asked not to enter the inner sanctuaries of some Balinese temples.
3Practical Tips
Practical Tips
- 1At Balinese temples, accept and wear the sarong and sash offered at the entrance — it is required and shows respect for one of the world's most living Hindu cultures
- 2Visit Borobudur at sunrise for the best experience and cooler temperatures — book tickets online in advance as visitor numbers are now managed and capped
- 3At mosques, visit outside of the five daily prayer times — during prayers, non-worshippers should stand quietly to the side or wait outside
Important Warning
Inappropriate behaviour at Balinese temples — including entering restricted inner areas, failing to dress modestly, or behaving disrespectfully during ceremonies — is taken extremely seriously and has resulted in tourists being banned from temple grounds and prosecuted under blasphemy laws.
How does this compare?
Religious Site Etiquette rules in nearby and similar countries:
Remove shoes before entering temple interiors, bow at shrine torii gates, and keep voices low throughout.
Remove shoes and hats before entering any place of worship, cover shoulders and knees, never turn your back to a Buddha image, and maintain respectful distance from monks.
All of Singapore's major religious sites welcome respectful visitors — remove shoes at mosques and Hindu and Buddhist temples, dress modestly, and avoid visiting during prayer times.
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