Bali says goodbye to a king in greatest cremation in century
By Mehru Jaffer
JAKARTA (JP): Soon dragons will prowl the streets of Bali alongside youths and young maidens dressed to kill. Special lamps will light the way beneath the shadow of which, energies both human and demonic will be played out. The chants of trusted priests, special recitations from ancient texts, mystical philosophies and legends about early ancestors will guide the lifeless back to life into the world thereafter. Processions as long as seven kilometers will line up while the palace courtyards will see a bevy of dancers greet the new day.
One more time the rich pageantry of ancient ages will be enacted, encouraging one million spectators to wonder whether they actually live in this century? Sages will try and tame the wild dragon as a score of other rites and rituals to release the soul of the dead, come alive.
The elaborate and extremely costly cremation ceremony, an essential pillar of the Hindu Dharma of the Balinese will be performed to ensure the return of Ide Anak Agung back to the five fundamental forces of water, fire, earth, light and air, the cosmic origin from which humans are born. More ceremonies will continue for an entire week to finally free the soul to unite with Shiva and to nestle in nirvana, completing the cycle of birth, life, death and reincarnation.
The 78-year-old Ide Anak Agung, the tenth generation ruler of Bali's kingdom of Gianyar, died last April but the elements and ether will be ready to receive his mortal remains only on Sept. 23 when commoner and king alike will participate in the ritual release of his soul. And not one tear is expected to be shed as music, dance, comedy and drama accompany the cremation ceremony in celebration of a life that was lived to its full. This is considered a boon, a gift bestowed upon humans by heaven itself and a reminder that loved ones are only on loan from the gods, anyway.
The grandeur of the ceremony is also to show the love of the island people for the late rajah, who fought the Dutch during the freedom struggle. According to Balinese tradition it is also the duty of all descendants to organize a proper cremation ceremony for the elders who brought them into the world, by returning all mortal remains back to the gods, the giver of all life.
At the age of 26 years, the rajah became prime-minister of the state of east Indonesia and played a decisive role in finally getting the Dutch to recognize independence for his country. He was also the home and foreign minister in Jakarta and served as ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, France and Austria.
He received the country`s highest award the Mahaputra Adipradana in 1995 and leaves behind a list of numerous books written by him. It was in 1992 that a royal cremation of such spectacular proportions was last held by the wealthy rajah himself. His wife and his mother along with four of his step mothers were cremated in a ritual ceremony in towers that were 17-meter tall. Those who attended the ceremony then, recall that it had taken more than an hour for the three towers and the three dragons to travel the 300-meter long road from the palace to the cremation ground. Balanced on the shoulders of 200 men the first tower alone had weighed two tons.
The late rajah had believed that as long as Bali continues to practice its rich traditions and religion, it can survive all kinds of outside influences. But if the Balinese turn away from their cultural practices then the island will certainly be reduced just to beaches and bars alone.
Therefore it is not a question of money but the continuing practice of traditions which inspire the practice of rituals like the cremation ceremony for ancestors. According to an elderly Balinese, cultural and religious practices are a way of life. They cannot be valued in rupiah and dollars alone.
A spokesperson of the royal family added that lots of money is spent on the ceremony but it is difficult to say exactly how much. The late rajah himself had admitted that he could never afford a royal send off to his wife and mother if it was not for the participation and contribution of the entire community. It is the same story for his own cremation now, an event that is being held as a labor of love by not just the royal family but by hundreds of village artisans and artistes alike.
Looking forward to presiding over the grand ceremony for his father, that begins on Sept. 19 and culminates a week later, eldest son Anak Agung Gde Agung said here in Jakarta that the country badly needs a moment just to rejoice, especially after months of rioting and politicking.
"Afterall we are not just a nation of gun totting soldiers," he says as he graciously invites one and all to join him on the island of gods to bid his father the last farewell, that is fit for a king, of course.