Bali, Indonesia

“A tropical paradise” is how this island is frequently described. Our home in Ubud was at Keprabon Guest House where the garden outside our room had hanging heliconia flowers, a plumeria tree, orchids, small palms, ferns and much, much more all in shades of Bali green. Moss grew from the walkways up the walls and over the statues. (Once we saw children pretend cooking with balls of moss they had gathered on the wall outside their door.) We delighted in the lushness of the area. At the same time, we were aware of the high humidity which was the element that made this greeness possible.

Keprabon Guest House was an example of a homestay. The 4 rooms were in a 2 story building on one side of a walkway and the home of the family was on the other side. The owner was a young man with 2 small daughters whose wife had died in September. His mother and his sister with her 2 daughters were there helping him. The family activities were a part of the charm of living there. In front of our room, across the verandah where we were served breakfast, was a fountain and a large statue of Ganesh, the elephant god. Each morning one of the women placed a banana leaf dish containing food, flowers and incense at the family temples. We would watch as a puja was being done in front of Ganesh. These offering dishes were seen at doorways, on the street and at businesses everywhere in Ubud. The beautifully prepared offering dishes were even available for sale in the market for those who didn‘t make their own. The aesthetics of all things; their beauty, design and grace, permeates Balinese culture.

We were excitedly told that we had arrived at a very auspicious time. The next day was to be a cremation celebration for 3 men from the royal family. We discovered this was to be an elaborate and extravagant event because of the wealth and status of the men. That first afternoon while walking around we saw 3 giant black bulls liberally trimmed with gold leaf. Later we found out these bulls would be the cremation coffins for the deceased. The next morning when we arrived to watch all we could of the event, we were surprised to see each bull placed on a bamboo platform. Our eyes then took in the 2 red and gold 9 tiered (9 indicates royalty) winged pagoda towers on platforms behind the cows. Each tower would carry the box with the body as well as 2 relatives and 2 musicians to the cemetery. For some reason one of the bodies was already at the cemetery, hence there were only 2 towers.

The ceremony began with the priest cleansing himself before putting on his complete ritual attire, piece by piece. The costume of white garments with long beaded necklaces and earrings, gold epaulets, arm bands and ear extentions was completed with a red and gold crown. He performed the necessary ritual seated on a platform facing the bulls and the towers. His responsibility was finished at that point and preparation for the procession began.

The procession which we saw with the locals from a street side near the cremation site began and ended with musicians carrying and playing drums, gongs and cymbals. In awe, we watched each bull being carried on its platform by at least 100 men. From the beginning, this was a joyous occasion, not in any way a solemn one. The suspense built while we waited for the first tower to come. Finally, the two amazing towers with musicians around them in abundance made their way precariously down the street. The procession having now come to an end, the crowd, including us, immediately stepped into the street following the towers to the cremation site.

Standing below the towers and completely focused we watch the box with the body being taken from the tower down a bamboo ramp and paraded around the cremation platform. On the platform, the bulls’ backs were cut and removed for the bodies to next be placed in those cavities. The bodies were elaborately prepared with oils, cloths and offerings until the cavity was filled and the bulls’ backs replaced. We were grateful for the cool breeze which came as a warning of rain. However, no matter how hot and humid it was we were going to remain to see the readiness for the fire which took some time. After the fire was lit and the bulls had burst into flame, the intense heat caused us to retreat a distance. From there, we watched only a short time for the fire to consume the bulls allowing the bodies to fall onto the fire below where the cremation continued.