Ubud Royal Cremation Cerimony

In Hindu Bali belief, a cremation ceremony symbolizes the cleansing of the soul of the one who has passed away, by returning the physical remains to the original elements from which living creatures are created and thereby releasing the soul from its worldly bonds. The cerimony is not a mournful occasion, but rather a way to soothe the soul of the departed and ensure that it is not disturbed by the sobbing of those left behind.

The bodies of the deceased were carried through the streets of Ubud by thousands of local people on top of a nine-tiered tower called ‘bade’. The procession was accompanied by an elaborately decorated and venerated bull effigy (Lembu) and a mythical dragon-like creature (Naga Banda), with a five meter-long tail. The naga is reserved for only the elders of the Royal family and is thus seldom seen in cremation ceremonies. At the end of the procession the cremation of the bodies (and few floats used in the procession) are held in the family temple.

The Ubud Royal Family held this ceremony for the bodies of two prominent elders of the family:
TJOKORDA GDE AGUNG SUYASA, who was head of the Ubud Royal Family and the leader of the traditional community in Ubud since 1976, and TJOKORDA GEDE RAKA, who was a senior office in the police force in Denpasar until his retirement in 1992. The effigy of GUNG NIANG RAKA, whose body was cremated in a smaller ceremony in December soon after she died, was also given a full cremation ceremony.

Creativity overwhelmed this important day in Ubud, with Balinese creativity outshining all in the design of the 70 odd floats dignity for the manner in which the bodies and ashes of the deceased were handled respect by the thousands of on-lookers, foreigners and locals alike, who dressed appropriately in sarongs, kebaya and head gear. Brute strengths from the 250 000 local men who carried the two 11 ton, 7 meter tall Bades with the coffins atop; and the others who carried equally heavy sarcophagus bulls, dragons and around 70 other floats ingenuity by the way the human bodies twisted and manipulated their giant responsibilities around trees, power lines and the many other obstacles along the narrow Ubud streets.

In Ubud, such ‘mass’ cremations are held only every 3-5 years. On July 15, we were fortunate to experience the biggest of all cremations in the last 20 years as three members of the Royal Family of Ubud were cremated along with approximately 70 other deceased from the local community. We hope you can catch a glimpse of the event browsing a few of our pictures!