Many people see Bali with its unique culture, beautiful and stunning landscapes, and natural spiritual traditions. People may be familiar with some regions such as Ubud and Seminyak for its spiritual beauty. From many unique areas in Bali, there is Trunyan Village in Kintamani having its unique funeral traditions.

Trunyan Village in Kintamani can be found near Lake Batur as one of the popular lakes in Bali. This region reveals some mysterious aspects of Trunyan culture. The most interesting one is their unique funeral tradition and ceremony.

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Trunyan Village with Its Unique Culture

It is not that easy to reach and visit Trunyan Village. Visitors must take some efforts to reach the location by riding a boat across Lake Batur to reach the village. Such an isolated location makes Trunyan an isolated area.

This physical isolation leads easiness to the Trunyan people to preserve their traditions over centuries. They have protection from outside influence. Their area is also remote from other areas giving to its mystique funeral practices as their preserved traditions.

Cremation ceremonies are common in most parts of Bali. But, Trunyan people have a very different and unique culture related to handling the dead. In Kuburan Terunyan, the Trunyan Cemetery— there is no cremation or burial of dead bodies. Instead, they are just laid out in the open and under bamboo cages. They will get natural decomposition. The people call this culture “Mepasah,” which means “to let go” or “to be exposed to nature.”

Surprisingly, the dead bodies do not smell of decay like common ones. This reality exists by a special tree growing near the cemetery, known as the Taru Menyan tree. Taru in Balinese language means a tree, while “menyan” means fragrant.

People know and believe that this Taru tree produces a strong and pleasant aroma which can neutralize the odor of the decaying bodies. Since the aroma is limited, then there is also a limited number of bodies, namely eleven at a time, that are placed at the site.

Any full decomposed death body, people will remove the skull and place it on a stone platform nearby. This creates such a chilling yet fascinating row of human skulls that can be seen by visitors.

Eligibility and Rituals

Not everyone in the Trunyan community has eligibility for having an open-air burial. The reservation of Trunyan Cemetery with its sacred method is only for married individuals who have died of natural causes. There is no permission for people who are dead by other causes such as by accidents, through violence, or under suspicious circumstances. They will be in the ground in a separate area.

Similarly, for unmarried individuals or children, there is a different kind of burial. Trunyan people believe such differences that only people who have fulfilled their spiritual and social roles in life, primarily marriage, have readiness to return fully to nature.

The burial ritual begins with the process of body cleansing. The family members will conduct the process. There is white cloth to wrap the dead body. Then, it is placed in a “bade”, or ceremonial bamboo stretcher. In such condition, the body is ready to be transported by boat to the cemetery.

Once there, there is a bamboo cage used to prevent animals from disturbing it. There will be prayers by family and villagers. They also give offerings to the ancestral spirits. They ask for guidance and protection for the soul of the deceased.

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Spirit and Ancestor Worship

The way of life of the people of Trunyan is their belief in spirits and they see the importance of maintaining harmony between the seen (sekala) and unseen (niskala) worlds.

They also believe that the body remains in spiritual form after death and continues to influence the living. As a result, they perform regular offerings and rituals even after the body has decomposed. This is to ensure that the soul is in such a peace and balance condition.

The people also believe that there are mountain spirits and Lake Batur view protects them as a sacred entity. That is why the funeral customs mean their respect for the dead and also a deep connection to nature.

This unique culture and belief face challenges of modernization and tourism as many other indigenous communities around the world. Trunyan faces a growing need to preserve their tradition. In another way, there is also a need to adapt to the changing world.

More generations, especially the younger ones, face modern lifestyles and values. Such exposure can give effects on the indigenous community and traditions. To face such a challenge, Trunyan community leaders and culture activists see the importance of making documents about Trunyan heritage and then passing them to future generations.

People of Trunyan also make such efforts to educate tourists about their beliefs related to the traditions and rituals. They hope that outsiders will have the right balance of seeing their belief and tradition so that there will be respect, understanding, and support. These outsiders will see Trunyan village as a living example of Bali’s rich and diverse cultural identity.

Visiting Trunyan Village in Kintamani gives a rare window into an ancient world, where there is a different belief of life and death in such a traditional way.

Bali travel vacation serves Bali packages tour to enjoy Trunyan as the unique village in Bali. Kintamani is also included in one of the destinations of this Bali packages tour. While visiting Kintamani, tourists can also visit and enjoy the beauty of this Trunyan Village.

They can enjoy and explore the Trunyan Village with its unique funeral ceremony based on the people’s belief. Certainly, this experience is for people who are not afraid of seeing a dead body put in certain conditions.

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Bali travel vacation has several Bali packages for tourists in Bali. There are Bali full day tours, half day tours, Bali tour activities, and Bali combined packages. All of which will help and assist anyone coming to Bali to have exclusive experience visiting Bali as the island of Paradise. Just contact us for more information about the Bali tour and packages that you prefer!