Attending the Royal cremation in Ubud Bali

This is the second part of my article on visiting Ubud for the cremation ceremony.

Saturday morning I woke a bit late and a got myself together for the cremation ceremony. I had a nice sarong with me that I had bought in Padangbai in East Bali a couple of months ago.

Although it is not mandatory as I was not entering a temple it would be ‘good form’ to wear a sarong and a ceremonial sash. I stepped out of Lecuk Inn and walked across the street. I picked out a sash for 10,000rp although I could have bought it for way less, I was in a hurry as breakfast is not provided at Lecuk and I wanted to take care of that before the streets became choked with people.

Jl. Kajeng really feels like a village street and locals were already strolling
around getting ready to pay their respects. All the way along it the paving slabs are decorated with people autographs, like Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

I rode down the hill and turned right on Jl. Raya Ubud, heading down the hill. On the way down the hill I stopped at a place called Murni’s Warung and ordered ‘Swiss potatoes’ and a Bali kopi for 25,000rp. The potatoes were fried with bacon and onions and were good. All the staff were wearing traditional costume expecting to attend the ceremony at some point. Riding back up the hill made me very thankful to have my motorbike. I saw hundreds of locals and tourists walking and felt like I was almost flying as I could ascend the hill so quickly and effortlessly. Many of the foreign visitors wear wearing sarongs, some the cheap kind I wrap around my neck for sun protection and some more elaborate and in the case of a few men, complete with jacket and ‘udeng’ the head wrap.

I was surprised that not all the locals were dressed in traditional costume or planning to attend. The lady who sold me my sash was nursing her baby. She was 200 meters from the temple but wasn’t planning to attend. I also saw groups of kids in shorts and t-shirts. Walking down the hill I saw the street was lined with young guys who were affiliated to the temple ( their white and black t-shirts told me that) . They got a laugh out of me in my sarong. I always feel like a robot wearing one of these because you can’t take big steps and have to waddle along, hoping the thing won’t fall off. Still together with the purple sash it showed them I was trying to make an effort and that’s the important thing.

By the time I reached Jl. Raya Ubud at the bottom of the hill the street was already packed with people. Almost every decent vantage point was taken and the various sections, gamelan orchestra, pecalang ( traffic police) were out practicing.

Now it was daylight I could really get a good look at the cremation tower and the bull. These were both mounted on rectangular bamboo platforms and carried by a whole team of men. I was a bit nervous looking at the height of the tower and trying to imagine it moving along the main street without tipping over.

Temperatures were high in the street and the direct sunlight, heat from the other people, plus all the pushing and shoving didn’t help. I’m used to the tropics now but saw many tourists just melting under the strain.

The bale structure outside the temple was reserved for dignitaries. As some of the smaller items like another bull, a portable bale structure and dragon moved passed the crowd whopped and cheered as the team of lifters carried their load and tilted each, adding to the excitement.

There were 2 young kids dressed up like a wedding couple sitting in 2 thrones who were being carried in the procession. These were the grand kids of the deceased.

Spirits in the crowd were good though and every once in a while the Pecalang would blow a whistle and urge the crowd to move back, creating another panic.

Finally the giant winged cremation tower started to rotate and move and I could see one of the priests riding along with it. After the tower had passed everyone followed behind in the street heading east along Jl. Raya Ubud to the cremation grounds. Sarong vendors were having a field day and I actually bumped into one lady who works in Padangbai who sold me the sarong I was wearing! (It’s the blue one draped over her shoulder in this older photo ).

People were hanging out of every building along Jl. Raya Ubud and it was quite a scene to see the procession of people stretching the whole distance of the street.

Feeling like I needed a pit stop I walked to Bali Buddha, the organic caf� just off of Jl. Raya Ubud for a sandwich. Of course the place was packed with people and I had to tell some other tourists to get to the back of the line they were pushing into. No problem for me but some of these people will run over you if you just stand there. One of the people who was in line was this older gent from Ubud. We got talking and he told me he was a ‘Sukawati’ a relative of the former king. I showed him the photos I had already taken and asked if one of the ladies sitting under the temple bale was Megawati. He laughed “No that is my niece but Megawati’s sister is sitting right next to her.” We chatted about the ceremony, Ubud itself and Balinese dancing. I mentioned the film I had viewed the previous night and told him I could tell the dancer was very good. You don’t appreciate the skill until you try it and I told him about the Joged dance I did once in Amlapura, feeling like a big oaf. “When you dance you must dance with your whole body, even your eyes.” he said. I ordered a salad item and he a nasi goreng vegetarian. Bali Buddha knocks out some very healthy food and I have no hesitation recommending it.

Mr Sukawati ate half of his nasi goreng (25,000rp) and took off for the cremation grounds down the street. As already mentioned in this article the body has been ’sleeping’ for a while in order for the cremation preparations. It has been ceremonially washed and dressed and traveled to the cremation grounds inside the tower where it will be transferred to the bull to be cremated. The cost of this event is huge, not just for the special structures that have to be built, but for the priests, gamelan, food and other costs of having thousands of people stop what they are doing and attend.

The walk to the cremation site took several minutes as it was located further east along Jl. Raya Ubud. Inside the entrance was the cremation tower, the bull was set up under a protective shelter alongside a smaller bull containing another body. The temple was at the rear. As I should in the doorway of the candi bentar ( split gate) I turned to see the Pedanda (high priest) enter. My days of working for EugeneDaily.com equipped me with the courage to fire of a shot at close range.

Just outside the temple wall the young grandson and grand daughter were positioned on their thrones in a raised area that afforded good views of the cremation. I know times are changing in Bali and wonder how long the intricate ceremonies will remain a priority. I noticed the young girl was busy chatting on her cell phone.

Right next to the 2 grandkids was a gamelan orchestra providing the necessary musical accompaniment. Playing the xylophone like gamelan is difficult as the player does not simply whack a note, but must dull each note right after with the other hand.

Where I was standing I noticed there were several people close by loaded with camera equipment. Literally ‘Nikon City’. Each of these people, male and female had 2 cameras with huge zoom lenses. I felt like a little amateur with my point and click. Anyway I figured that positioning is half the battle and if these ‘pro’s’ were standing where I was that was a good sign. I had an unobstructed view of both the Royal bull and its small counterpart which was ignited first. The Royal bull had been loaded with the body and stacked with what looked like chunks of dry moss. The smaller bull quickly became engulfed in flames and a few minutes later the Royal bull was set ablaze. I wondered about the logic of having a roof over the bull but reminded myself that Balinese don’t value logic very highly and it’s all about the significance of the act rather than the outcome.

As the Royal bull burned smoke seemed to pour out of it nostrils, quite effectively. The fire brigade was situated a few feet from where I was standing with a fire truck at the ready. Ten minutes after the bull was set ablaze it had burned down to the supporting structure and the fire brigade doused it with the hose. Like a Sunday roast the remains of the body was still suspended inside the bull. I was told that the final remains would be taken to a beach close to Sukawati for the final part of the ceremony later that evening where they would be sent into the ocean.

The whole time I was at the cremation parade and ceremony I was thinking how lucky I was to witness this event. The locals do this not for the tourists but for the religion / culture. As a westerner I can join in on the periphery and get a feeling of what is going on�all without having to expend much time, money or effort. Its almost a westerner’s dream to be in a culture where this elaborate stuff goes on and have the locals welcome outsiders to watch it. The vibrant culture provides a wonderful backdrop for everyday life and life in Bali wouldn’t be the same without the Balinese and their culture.