Wali Pitu in Bali, Indonesia: A Study of Challenges and Prospects for Religious Tourism

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-503-4_51How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Wali Pitu; religious tourism; challenges; prospects; diversity

Abstract

This article explores the challenges and prospects of Wali Pitu as a religious tourism destination in Bali, Indonesia. Wali Pitu, meaning “Seven Guardians” or “Seven Saints,” refers to a group of sacred graves that have become pilgrimage sites, particularly for Muslim. The concept was popularized in 1992 by Habib Toyyib Zaen Arifin Assegaf, a Javanese-Arab figure who claimed divine revelation (hatif) in identifying these sites. While Wali Pitu offers Muslim pilgrims a distinct spiritual experience centered on saint veneration, its historical legitimacy is contested—especially among local Balinese Muslims and Hindus, who often see it as a recent and external influence. This study aims to analyzes how Wali Pitu has developed amid cultural and religious tensions. Findings show that Muslim pilgrims view the graves as part of a broader spiritual journey, while some Hindu pilgrims also visit the sites within a syncretic framework, reflecting Balinese tradition of religious pluralism. Key challenges in developing Wali Pitu as religious tourism are include debates over historical authenticity, inter-religious sensitivities, and the preservation of local identity. Despite these issues, Wali Pitu presents opportunities to promote sustainable, culturally rooted religious tourism and foster interfaith understanding.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Rabith Jihan Amaruli
AU  - I Gusti Gede Prasta Wastia
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/19
TI  - Wali Pitu in Bali, Indonesia: A Study of Challenges and Prospects for Religious Tourism
BT  - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Culture and Sustainable Development (ICOCAS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 434
EP  - 442
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-503-4_51
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-503-4_51
ID  - Amaruli2025
ER  -