Model deported from Bali after taking racy photos on one of its sacred trees
A model has been deported from Bali after pictures of her posing naked on one of the Indonesian island's sacred trees resurfaced on social media.
Luiza Kosykh, from Russia, left Denpasar to return to Moscow yesterday following a furious backlash about some of her photographs at the popular tourist destination.
Her deportation came five days after she was seized by immigration officials over the risqué snaps and her visa was cancelled.
The 40-year-old model had originally posed for the photos two years ago - one of which shows her naked as she presses her breast up a 700-year-old holy weeping paperbark tree, known locally as a kayu putih.
Other snaps show Kosykh with a white sheet draped around her naked body lying across the tree's trunk, which is believed by followers to have healing powers.
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Luiza Kosykh has been deported from Bali (Newsflash)Located behind a small Balinese Hindu temple in Bali's Tabanan Regency, the tree is revered as sacred to Balinese Hindus.
The Instagram model faced backlash when the photos were shared online by when local businesswoman Ni Luh Putu Ary Pertami Djelantik - also known as Niluh Djelantik - on April 11.
She captioned them: "To all foreigners who disrespect our land, Bali is our home, not yours!"
Her visa has been cancelled (Newsflash)She went on: "Do you think you'll look cool taking naked picture on our holy trees? Go back to your country if you can't respect our traditions and culture!
"This tree grows behind a sacred place called Pura Babakan, which was built during the reign of King Perean, and the name Babakan is associated with the tree bark that is cut and used as medicine.
"It is believed that this giant tree existed before Pura Babakan was built.
"Until now, the locals believe that the cut bark of the tree (Babakan) has the power to heal various kinds of illnesses, making it a place to ask for medicine."
Social media activist Niluh Djelantik shared the photos online (Newsflash)
Some snaps show Kosykh with a white sheet draped around her naked body (Newsflash)Ms Djelantik - who has more than 550,000 followers on Instagram - had also tagged Kosykh's Instagram account on the post, which was liked nearly 18,000 times. Kosykh later reportedly deleted her Instagram profile.
When arrested, Kosykh tried to defend herself by claiming that when she posed for the photos, she was wearing underwear, but they had been photoshopped.
Kosykh is reportedly the 59th Russian national to be deported from Bali since last year.
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The model being brought to a press conference held at the immigration office in Denpasar (AFP via Getty Images)Russian yoga practitioner Alina Fazleeva was widely slated for posing naked by the same tree last year.
The 28-year-old and her husband performed rituals to apologise to the spirits at Babakan Temple.
However, it was not enough to stop them from being deported from Indonesia.
Earlier this month, a Russian tourist was deported from Bali after a semi-naked photo he took on a sacred mountain went viral.
Alina Fazleeva was widely slated for posing naked by the same tree last year (Newsflash)
Alina and her husband performed rituals to apologise to the spirits (Newsflash)Yuri Chilikin, 24, was removed from the popular Indonesian island and deported to Moscow via Dubai, Balinese immigration authorities said.
The tourist was deported for stripping off his clothes and posting a photo of himself naked from the waist down at Mount Agung, Bali's highest mountain and a sacred religious site, on Instagram.
Following backlash, Mr Chikilin removed the photo and published an apology video, blaming his "personal ignorance" and saying there is "no excuse" for his actions.
The Balinese population follows a form of Hinduism known as Agama Hindu Dharma - and one of their main beliefs is that elements of mother nature are influenced by spirit.
The mountains and volcanoes on Bali are considered the places where the gods, nature spirits and ancestral spirits are housed.
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