 Text by Sari Widiati Photos by I.B. Andi Sucirta
The greatest event in the last three decades, a display of community collaboration, dedication, and a living culture.
The last major cremation ceremony in Bali was in 1979, for a well known artist from the royal house of Ubud, Tjokorda I Gde Agung Sukawati. This year's ceremony, even larger, honored Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa, also one of Ubud's most respected citizens.
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.
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.
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.
But a major cremation ceremony, like the one prepared and offered for Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa, is also a truly entertaining spectacle, particularly for tourists, showing the power and grandeur of Bali's culture, and produced entirely by the skilled hands of the highly dedicated local community, who truly deserve to be called real artists!
What made this cremation ceremony so special was the involvement of the public. At least 68 banjar volunteered their collective efforts to make this pelebon successful and spectacular.
Before the main cremation event, many tourists, both domestic and foreign, visited the area around Puri Agung Ubud to witness the preparations for the pelebon. For example, on 12 July was the mass disinterment of remains from 68 graves to be cremated together with the royals, as well as the procession to place the remains of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa at Sumanggen, which was held at 12 minutes past midnight.
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.
On 14 July, there was another parade, this time the Ngening procession, with fewer participants. Ngening was performed by traveling to the spring of Tjampuhan to collect some holy water to be used symbolically in bathing the remains of the departed. In the evening there was a procession to light paper lanterns to honor the pelebon procession.
At the peak of the cremation ceremonies (15 July), Ubud was a sea of humanity. People came to see a special event, the greatest in thirty years, which they might never get the chance to see again. It was also a day of sacredness, replete with important symbols created by Bali's artists in detailed masterworks worthy of appreciation. Their efforts were dedicated to one whom they loved and honored.
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. |
Garuda magazine; The Royal Cremation Ceremony (Pelebon) - Sending Home the Penglingsir 