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Ngaben Bali, the Best Funeral Ceremony in the World.

Balinese Religion is based on respect for and worship of God and ancestor. It is believed that after death, the body must be dissolved and returned to its original elements.  Ngaben, the Balinese word for cremation is a purification rite which frees the spirit from its temporary earthly house and facilitates its journey to its next existence.   The Ngaben is the last and most important ceremony of every Balinese life, in which the soul is released entirely from the body to ascend to heaven and to be reincarnated.

The village Kul Kul, hanging in the tower of the village temple, will sound a certain beat to announce the departure of the deceased.  The body of the deceased will be placed at Bale Delod, as if he were sleeping, and the family will continue to treat him as if he were still alive yet sleeping.  No tears are shed, for he is only gone temporarily and he will reincarnate into the family.  The Priest consults the Dewasa to determine the proper day for the ceremony.

It is a custom and part of a tradition in Bali when someone dies, the whole villager (where one was lives) will help with the preparation for the cremation.  The dead body is laid out in a special part of the house to be bathed and prepared. The night before the cremation, holy water will be collected from some main temple and used in preparation of the body and during the cremation.  The entire villager (but especially for family and relatives) will participate on the day of the cremation ceremony.  Before the body cremated at the cemetary, the body of the deceased is placed inside a coffin which is then placed inside a sarcophagus in the form of a buffalo (called Lembu) or a temple structure called Wadah made of paper and light wood, which believes to be the vehicle of the spirits, made of paper and light wood. It will be carried to the village cremation site (usually in the village cemetery) in a procession. The climax of Ngaben is the burning of the Wadah, using fire originating from a holy source. The deceased is sent to his afterlife, to be reincarnated in the future.

In Balinese tradition, the body is merely a vessel for the soul. When a person dies, it is believed that his soul, or atman, remains near the body. A person’s body consists of five elements: fire, air, water, earth, and empty space. These five elements must be returned to nature, to be released so they can find the way to heaven and unite with the Creator. The cremation ceremony is a lengthy process, with many steps both before and after the cremation itself.

When all the procession has done the ashes are placed in the sea, and it is the final separation of the soul from the body.

On July 15th, 2008, more than three hundred thousand of tourist had opportunity to witness royal cremation.  Two members of the royal family, Tjokorda Agung Gede Suyasa and Tjokorda Gede Raka, cremated as well as up to eighty Ubud residents.  Within the Ubud Palace walls there has been a huge amount of activity.  Streams of women, dressed in kebaya (traditional blouse) and sarong, had been pouring into the inner grounds to help with the activities. The center of town has, in fact, become a bustling eco-friendly bamboo jungle of sorts, a rustic-style atmosphere bathed in a soft filtered light.

Culturally and spiritually inspirational, Balinese cremations are a colourful and, depending on the caste level, an extravaganza to rival any funeral in the world.  Respect for and worship of God and ancestors is the basis of the Balinese religion.  The combination of Hindu elements makes the whole process a moving experience and one that is not to be missed.

For a mass ceremony like this one, when someone rich enough could afford to have this religious, grandiose ritual conducted.  Hindu is a peaceful religion and the Balinese embrace Hindu.

The Ngaben is not a sad event, it can even be happy, it is a way to make the spirit of the dead happy, and to avoid disturbing him by crying. However it requires an enormous amount of time, energy, and money!  Every NGABEN ceremony is very very costy indeed!  However, Balinese people normally preserve bodies of loved ones for some time, oftentimes for years, waiting for a suitable ‘time’ .  All of the relatives and friends share the cost but often months, or even years, will be required to gather enough money and to make the mountains of offerings involved. One solution is for ordinary community members to join the funerals of wealthier individuals of high caste, or to organize ngaben massal (mass cremation) among the villagers, to reduce the costs.

In Padangtegal there was a mass cremation for over 70 people on July 19th 2008 and the Ubud Royal Family hold a cremation for the bodies of two prominent elders of the family on July 15th along with approximately 70 other deceased from the local community.

These ceremonies were very much public and visitors are welcome, but everyone was reminded to dress appropriately, with legs and arms covered, and to respect the needs of the Balinese holding these ceremonies over one’s own individual need to ‘see what’s going on’. If you do come to see kind of ceremonies, please act as though you are in a house of worship and abide by any instructions and announcements.

On March 28, 2008, the head of the Ubud Royal Family, Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa passed away. As it was not an auspicious time to cremate him, the Padanda (high priest) of the Klungkung palace fixed July 15th, 2008 for the cremation. Since the death of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa his mortal remains has been embalmed and kept in the Puri Saren Kauh – central/west area of the Puri Agung Ubud (palace). It is appropriately placed on a decorated structure surrounded by offerings with the fragrance of incense permeating the air.

Since March, the community has rallied around the royal family every evening at the Puri to reminisce, eat food, play cards etc. It’s the public sharing of grief by the community for the late Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa who was affectionately called Panglingsir Puri Ubud (the wise one) by the people of Ubud and the surrounding areas. In the words of his brother and Prince Tjkorda Raka Kerthyasa, “He believed in the policy of working closely with the community with Bakti Asih (faith and compassion). He always emphasised that the palace could not be a palace without the community”.

On July 15th the cremations of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa, his nephew Tjokorda Gede Raka, aunt Desak Raka and 68 members of the community was taking place in Ubud. That was symbolic of the Gotong Royong system (mutual assistance) between the members of the royal family and the community. It was evident to all when cremations are held side by side on the same day.

The previous plebon of such a big scale was performed in 1978, when the head of the Ubud’s princely’s house Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati was cremated. He died on the 20th of July 1978 at the age of 68 because of liver cancer. Among the guests (in general, not only at the cremation) of this well-known figure were the queen of Great Britain Elizabeth, the queen of the Netherlands Yuliana, Joseph Broz Tito, several presidents of India, Ho Shi Min, Charlie Chaplin and Marlon Brando.

Tjokorda Raka Kerthyasa of the Ubud Royal Family and brother of the late Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa, have said that the four Banjars of Ubud had galvanised 60 to 70 villages for making the decorations, preparing the offerings, producing the two giant effigies of bulls and the three bamboo towers that would have been the vehicles for the three deceased royals to the cremation ground. The main tower on which Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa’s body was placed was 27metres high and weighs over 11 tonnes. A total of six thousand people in rotation would help carry the tower.

Till date over 125 tonnes of rice had been used for offerings and to feed people; and an unfathomable amount of steaming cups of Bali Kopi, colourful seaweed jelly and other food offered to all visitors to the palace and those helping in the preparations.

On July the 13th the gigantic effigy of the bull of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa and the Naga Banda (dragon) carried in procession from Peliatan Palace to the Ubud palace after the priests had purified and blessed them prior to placing them next to his body that was in the special bale at the palace.

The weigh of the biggest one was around 11 tones and its height reaches 28,5 meters. More than 8 thousand ‘porters’ – volunteers – carried them to the place of cremation. Each bade carried by 200-250 people, who periodically changed each other.

In this case one of the Sukawati clan refused to name the price of the ceremony – it was simply impossible to calculate, he said.  68 villages take part in it and most of the materials, masters and products are provided by them for free.   Some source said that this royal cremation expense almost USD 300.000.  To some, a Balinese-style cremation might seem an unnecessary expense.

Putri ubud ngaben is ceremonial of crematorium of putri ubud This ceremony is one of the biggest ceremony is this century in bali

Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa was born on 14 July 1941 and passed away on 28 March 2008. He was the third child of Tjokorda Gde Ngurah and his first wife Tjokorda Istri Muter. He, in turn, was the oldest son among the ten children of the last king of Ubud, who ruled from 1880 to 1917.

After his father passed away in 1967, Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa became the head of the household at Puri Saren Kauh, the palace of Ubud, and for three decades was not just the head of the royal household but was also appointed as bandesa, head of the traditional village of Ubud (from 1976), chief advisor on matters of tradition, religion, and Balinese culture, both in Ubud and on the national level, as well as heading the clan association, Keturunan Dalem Sukawati se-Bali. For his dedication and character, which brought respect to both Ubud and Bali as a whole, he was referred to as Penglingsir Puri Ubud, one deeply honored like a king.

A stoic aristocrat, Suyasa was also one of the most influential figures behind the revival of Balinese Hinduism in several parts of the country. He donated generous contributions to several major Hindu temples in Java, including the majestic Mandhara Giri Semeru Agung temple in East Java, and others in Kalimantan and Lombok.

When he passed away, leaving two wives, five siblings, six children, twelve grandchildren and one great-grandchild, the community of Ubud immediately came together to start organizing a pelebon, a cremation ceremony especially for a Balinese royal (for commoners, the term is ngaben) to send his soul home to its Owner.

During the same pelebon, two other respected members of the Ubud royal (Puri Agung) family were also cremated: Tjokorda Gede Raka and Desak Raka (Gung Niang Raka).

Tjokorda Gede Raka was from the related palace of Puri Anyar and a high-ranking police officer until his retirement in 1992. He passed away on 21 March 2008, just a week before Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa, leaving a wife, three children, and four grandchildren.

Desak Raka was from Puri Kaleran Belingsung Ubud and passed away on 23 December 2007. She was the first wife of the late Tjokorda Raka and was born around 1917. She had actually been cremated previously in a smaller ceremony; a symbol was used in this pelebon as a surrogate for her actual remains.

Also cremated at the same time were the remains of 68 other persons from four banjar, or traditional villages: Banjar Sambahan, Ubud Tengah, Ubud Kelod Peken, and Ubud Kaja. This involved digging up remains that had been buried for an average of four years, on 12 July.

The pelebon ceremony, with the title “Perayaan Kehidupan” (Celebration of Life), was held over four days, starting 12 July and culminating with the actual cremation on 15 July. 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. A pelebon or ngaben 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.

At the cremation ground the body of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa like his nephew’s was removed from the tower and placed inside the respective bull that is a representation of mother earth. Each clan has its own ‘animal symbol’ like a lion, tiger, elephant, fish etc. Only the holy priests use a white bull. After the bull had been burnt the family along with the Padanda removed his remains from the ashes and rearrange it in the form of a human figure on a white cloth. The Padanda will then take those parts that represent the vital organs, grind them and place the ground pieces in a young coconut that has been decorated with great care. The family then carried the coconut and the other remains on the white cloth to Matahari Terbit beach, Sanur. Here they board a boat to throw the ashes into the sea.

This is the procedure that will be followed by the relatives of all those that have been cremated. So after the cremations a cavalcade of hundreds of vehicles was expected to depart Ubud for Sanur.

On return to Ubud from Sanur every family performed a ceremony called Mepegat: the final severing of the physical/emotional attachment to the Pitara (soul) of the deceased. It is the freeing of the Pitara from its worldly bondage and also a final good bye to the loved one.

People carry the coffin of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa during the procession of Pelebon or The Royal Cremation Ceremony in Ubud, on the Indonesian island of Bali, July 15, 2008. The royal cremation procession passes through Ubud bearing the bodies of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa and Tjokorda Gede Raka. Thousands of Balinese flocked to Ubud for the royal cremation, the biggest in nearly 30 years.

On 13 July, the road was swarming with tourists to watch the Mendak (meeting) Naga Banda procession. Hundreds of people, including members of the Ubud royal family and their relatives, paraded bearing a seven-meter-long dragon statue, Naga Banda, from Merajan Agung Peliatan to the place for offering the final respects (Sumanggen). Before the departure, the “soul” was symbolically separated from the body of Naga Banda and the other earth elements.

The Naga Banda appears only for respected members of the royal family; this is one aspect that differentiates a royal pelebon from an ordinary ngaben.

There were numerous stages in the process, starting with the placing of the remains of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa in a 28.5-meter-tall tower (bade) with nine roofs. This tower represents the universe as perceived in Balinese belief. Its arrangement is full of meaning. The lower part of the world (bhur) is symbolized by a turtle (badawang nala) as its base, with two dragons, one on each side. Above is the world of humans (bwah), and the highest level is heaven (swah), consisting of a series of small roofs similar to the multiple levels in the towers seen on temples (meru).

The corpse is placed in the tower as a symbol of being between the earth and the sky. A bhoma (frightening mask) is placed at the back of the tower to scare off any evil spirits, while a garuda mask is placed at the front of the tower, which is pulled by the family of the deceased to escort it to the cremation venue.

This was the largest cremation tower in Bali’s history. It weighed 11 tons and was carried by 250 persons, who were changed every 100 meters, to the cemetery (setra). The pallbearers then circled around the crossroads three times, in order to confuse the spirit of the deceased so it would not return. During the procession from Puri Agung to the setra, residents from 42 community units were involved.

The tower was borne aloft after a pedanda (priest) shot an arrow into Naga Banda, the most sacred part of the cremation ceremony. The tower was carried following other symbols, such as Naga Banda and a bull, considered very holy by the Hindu community, as the vessel in which the remains would be burnt.

At precisely 6.30 PM, the bull containing the remains was set afire, and in a very short time the fire had wholly consumed the bull, the dragon and the worldly remains, leaving only ashes. At the end of the ceremony, a pedanda sounded a bell to help the soul enter heaven.

The ashes were set adrift at Sunset Beach in Sanur. Several days later was the final stage of the cremation ceremonies, nyekah, to purify the souls placed as ancestors in each of the family’s holy places (merajan).

These offerings are a symbol of appreciation to God and to the local community, who participated in the entire series of pelebon ceremonies. In Hindu belief, a soul that has been released, after spending some time in heaven, can achieve the higher level of unity with God (moksa) and will then be reincarnated (samsara) to go through another worldly life.

And everyone who was involved in carrying out the pelebon, as well as everyone who witnessed it, is also full of joy, for they have helped send these souls home to their creator in a sacred atmosphere and with the glory of a unique living culture. (From many sources)

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Tags: Bali, coffin, Indonesia, Naga, Ngaben, Royal Palace, sarcophagus, Ubud