Controversy continues at Bali’s Atlas Super Club after the venue was found to have used religious imagery of the Hindu god Lord Shiva as the background of a DJ set last weekend.
Though the image appeared on the giant screens for one minute before being removed, and despite a public apology from the venue, top religious leaders feel that more needs to be done to rectify the harm and offense caused.
Atlas Super Club is the biggest nightclub in Bali. The venue sits as a part of Atlas Beach Fest, the biggest beach club in the world. The huge, one-stop entertainment complex is located in the heart of Canggu and attracts tens of thousands of visitors every week. The incident triggered a backlash online and within communities in Bali after footage circulated online showing the depiction of Lord Shiva.
Though it is permissible to create images of Lord Shiva within the Hindu tradition, many are outraged that such images could be used in the context of a party at a nightclub during an event that was catered towards non-Hindus and where alcohol was present.
This issue has perhaps garnered an extra level of attention as frustrations continue to rise within the Balinese community due to the impact of rapid tourism development across the island, and the seemingly rising number of tourists who do not respect the culture of the province. This is not the first time in recent months that a beach club venue in Canggu has caused offense to the Balinese Hindu community.
In October 2024, Atlas’ neighboring beach club, FINNS, was under fire after setting off a fireworks display while local community members were conducting a religious ceremony on the public beach the venue overlooks.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Atlas Super Club the Chairman of Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI Bali), Nyoman Kenak, explained that the incident could be grounds for a criminal case against Atlas Super Club on the basis of religious blasphemy as per Article 156a of the Indonesian Criminal Code.
On Wednesday, 5th February, Atlas Super Club issued a public apology in its Instagram stories, published in Bahasa Indonesia. Their statement shared “Fully we realize that this can cause inconvenience to the community and Hindus, especially in Bali. We have taken firm action against the perpetrator of the incident.”
The venue also confirmed that it would hold and sponsor a Guru Piduka Ceremony, a ritual to apologize and ask forgiveness, as is customary in the Balinese Hindu tradition.
However, for officials from the PHDI Bali, these steps do not go far enough to rectify the harm caused. The investigation has been supported by the Head of Badung Satpol PP I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara, who also summoned the management team from the venue for interviews.
He told reporters on Tuesday that the venue would be reviewing its standard operating procedures to assess how an un-screened visual display could have been played over the weekend.
Suryanegara told reporters that he had issued the venue with a warning letter (Number 300.1/137/SATPOLPP) and noted “We have given a warning. For further information, you can confirm with the Head of Protocol and Leadership Communication because we have submitted the data to the Leadership.”
Adding, “A warning has been given through a letter, and the results of the summons have also been submitted to the Regent of Badung.”
Nevertheless, the PHDI Bali wants to see greater steps taken by the tourism entertainment venue, including an apology statement issued to all Hindus, penned by the director of the venue himself.
The Head of the PHDI Legal Team, Putu Wirata Dwikora, told reporters, “’Although those who came [to the meeting] were management under the director, the open apology must be stated by the director level and officials below him.”
He added “The involvement of the director is important, so that he is responsible for controlling his subordinates so that they do not make similar mistakes, which are very sensitive, because they concern religion. It is very important that the director level signs the apology statement, including commissioners, not only employees and management such as Public Relations, who apologize. This is important so that it becomes a shared responsibility from the director to the operators in the field.”
Atlas Super Club and Atlas Beach Club remain open to the public seven days a week.
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