The religious tourism area of Mount Kawi has recently become the center of attention on social media after being linked once again to rumors of pesugihan (wealth rituals). This phenomenon has triggered various public reactions, prompting an official response from the Central Government through the Ministry of Culture and the area's management.
Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, emphasized that Mount Kawi is an inseparable part of Indonesia's rich traditions and deep-rooted cultural diversity. According to him, the public has different perspectives when interpreting sites steeped in historical and spiritual value.
Fadli added that the existence of such religious sites deserves to be respected as a social reality, provided that all activities there make a positive contribution to the local community's economy, preserve the environment, and do not damage public facilities.
Meanwhile, the management of the Mount Kawi religious tourism site provided a clarification through their official social media account, @gunungkawistory. They emphasized that the slopes of the mountain are a place of pilgrimage, communal prayer, and expression of gratitude, directly contradicting the mystical stigma of pesugihan widely narrated on the internet.
The management regretted the viral content that tends to chase digital sensation, as it distorts the positive image of the area. According to them, Mount Kawi is fundamentally a space of cross-cultural harmony that has been visited by people from various regions for decades for spiritual and historical education purposes.
