Paper short abstract:

In central Java, a number of sacred sites exist that are visited by pilgrims of both sexes not only to pray and meditate, but also to seek out sexual encounters. The historical roots of these practices are suspected to lie in Tantrism, which dominated large parts of Java until the sixteenth century.

Paper long abstract:

In central Java, a number of sacred sites exist that are visited by pilgrims of both sexes not only to pray and meditate, but also to seek out sexual encounters. Having sex at these sites is considered beneficial in terms of the actual goals of the pilgrimage, which are mostly aimed at solving family, financial or health problems. Since these sacred sites are visited by significantly more male than female pilgrims, there is a great demand for female sex partners that is covered by prostitutes. These lightly dressed women in turn attract numerous male visitors who visit these pilgrimage sites not for religious, but for purely profane reasons. As a result, pilgrims, pimps and prostitutes mingle at these sacred sites so that they are indistinguishable from each other, which gives these promiscuous practices a degree of protection against intervention by the authorities. The practices mentioned here have boomed since the 1990s and taken on a subversive character against the background of Indonesia's increasingly sexually hostile policies. The religious-historical roots of these practices are suspected to lie in tantric currents within Hinduism and Buddhism, which spread from India and dominated large parts of Java until the sixteenth century. As possibly tantric fragments, they have undergone numerous metamorphoses and adaptations to local conditions. But like tantrism in India, the sexual practices at pilgrimage sites in central Java have retained their transgressive character.