Royal Cremation, Freeing the soul
Trip Start
Jul 01, 2008
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Trip End
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Ubud,
Bali,
Indonesia
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
I witnessed one of the most unique rituals in Bali called "Ngaben," or cremation. This event was special because it was the royal cremation of the body of Agung Suyasa, head of the royal family of Ubud who was considered to be their King and two other members of his extended family. It was the most spectacular royal funeral in Bali in at least three decades.
The timing couldn't be anymore perfect for me. I arrived in Kuta, near the southern part of Bali, on the 13th and immediately I rented a motorcycle and left the following day to Ubud, approximately 45km north from Kuta. I was happy to leave Kuta because it was the most touristy place in all of Bali and to me foreigners seem to outnumber local people. It took me almost 2 hours to arrive to my destination because I got lost several times since the roads aren't clearly marked like back home. Nevertheless, I arrived in Ubud in the evening and I was lucky to find a room since almost every hostels or hotels were full. I walked to the main road and asked questions to shop owners and random people because I wanted to get as much as information about the event (who, what, where, when, why, and how?) Since I was approaching it as a documentary photographer these questions were necessary to fully understand its significance.
The purpose of the cremation is to free the body of all worldly attachments and thus to prepare the soul to be reunited with the Supreme Being as a first step to reincarnation. Their bodies have been preserved for months waiting for their souls to be freed through cremation.
running with the bulls
"A cremation is an occasion for gaiety and not for mourning, since it represents the accomplishment of their most sacred duty" according to Miguel Covarrubias in his classic work, "Island of Bali," published in 1946. The Balinese believes that it's a part of the cycle of life. Agung Suyasa died on March 28, his body had been lying embalmed, as if asleep, in his palace. The family brought daily offerings and symbolic meals. I woke up the next morning and discovered two tall decorated towers (9 tiers) called, "wadah," a representation of the cosmos in which the bodies will be carried to the cremation ground. Also, there were two gigantic bulls, a sarcophagus, in which the bodies will be placed before the burning.
The main street was filled with onlookers and volunteers wearing purple shirt. Their job was to carry the 11 ton tower, as tall as 3 story building, containing the body of Agung Suyasa and the bulls to the burning site using a bamboo platform, 200 at a time for 100-yard shifts. Laughing and sometimes breaking into a quick sprint, volunteers swung the platform with frenzy from left to right to confuse the spirits. I was in the middle of the commotion sometimes within inches of getting trampled. Many onlookers on the side of the street were injured and a tourist even got her arm broken when they swung the platform. I tried to keep a safe distance and watched my step because the street was slippery from water sprayed in the air to keep the volunteers cool. As I was standing looking up at the massive bulls I remembered thinking that this is the closest thing to running with the bulls in Spain.
At the cremation site, the casket was brought down from the top of the tower, as if descending back to earth from heaven.
during cremation
I saw the son of Agung Suyasa carried on the backs on the volunteers. Overwhelmed with emotions he was crying and screaming. The coffin then circled around the waiting bulls three times followed by women with offerings on their heads. This event attracted world attention. I was along side photographers from New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, etc. These guys are professional so of course they had their press pass dangling around their neck. But I still managed to get close. It seems that if you have a big ass camera around your neck people don't ask too many questions. I still have a lot to learn so I was watching close what they were doing. The photographer from New York Times, Justin Mott, was a pretty cool guy, a little bit older than me. He lives in Vietnam but he covered many events in Southeast Asia. We exchanged contacts and he told me to look him up if I happen to be in Vietnam. Anyway, check out his work at justinmott.com.
The ceremony started around 10am and by 7pm I was tired and hungry because I haven't eaten anything. Getting the picture was more important than satisfying my hunger. I found a spot on top of a fire engine that had a good view below. I saw thousands of people with their cameras out waiting anxiously. The backs of the bulls were opened and the body was put inside. By this time, the sun had already set and I saw quick spark of flashes from spectators' cameras.
Suddenly a bright flame appeared under the belly of the bull and it quickly traveled upward immediately engulfing the gold necklace around the neck and its bright colored decoration. Bright flames shot out of its nostrils and sinister eyes as if it was angry. It was truly a menacing sight. I thought it would spit fire from its mouth like a dragon annihilating everyone in its path. The infuriating fire swallowed the bulls leaving nothing but the iron frame, in which the burning skeleton remained.
Workers poked at the useless body with a long bamboo pole to stroke the fire. They also used what looked like two huge flamethrowers to speed up the process and disintegrate the skeletons into dust. They would gather the ashes and take them to a nearby beach and spread them to be carried away by wind and water, freeing the soul from earth.
Witnessing this ceremony made me think about my own mortality. I have accepted the idea because we all die eventually; it's just a question of when and how. But the most important question is how I've lived. Nevertheless, I never liked the idea of being buried under ground and confined. If I die I would like to get cremated as well. I would like to have some of my ashes spread out to free my soul. I would also like to have some of my ashes used as a fertilizer to grow a huge tree that will provide a place of sanctuary (like the book The Giving Tree). I should put that on my will.
I will upload the photos on my website, andritambunanphotography.com soon under Featured Galleries so check it!
