Ida Pedanda Istri Purnama's Pelebon Ceremony Piques Foreign Tourists' Curiosity

The cremation ceremony, or pelebon, of Ida Pedanda Istri Purnama at Taman Dedari in Banjar Bunutan, Kedewatan Village, Ubud District, Gianyar, has piqued the curiosity of foreign tourists visiting the area. ‘May I join the procession?’ said Pedro, a Brazilian tourist watching the bade procession for Ida Pedanda Istri Purnama on Jalan Raya Kedewatan in Ubud, Gianyar, on Sunday, 24 May 2026. Pedro and his partner, Flavia, stayed at The Royal Pita Maha hotel, located in Taman Dedari, not far from the cremation site of Ida Pedanda Istri Purnama. The Brazilian man said he learned about the pelebon ceremony from the hotel staff. As a first-time tourist in Bali, the news sparked his curiosity. ‘This is my first time witnessing such a ceremony. But I know it is a cremation ritual,’ Pedro said. Mariska, a German tourist, also expressed similar sentiments. She deliberately came to observe the pelebon procession by following the funeral cortege of Ida Pedanda Istri Purnama to the Taman Dedari cremation site. ‘The atmosphere of the (pelebon) ceremony is impressive, and I am curious if I am allowed to join the procession,’ Mariska said. Mariska stated she was staying at a hotel near Jalan Raya Kedewatan, not far from Taman Dedari. She received information about the pelebon ceremony from hotel staff two days prior. This prompted her to witness the traditional cremation ceremony firsthand. The German woman said she was impressed by the bustling procession of the pelebon for Ida Pedanda Istri Purnama. ‘I was informed by hotel staff about this event two days ago. It turned out to be quite impressive,’ she said. DetikBali reported that the body of Ida Pedanda Istri Purnama was carried and placed onto a 3-metre-high bade at 12:43 WITA. A procession of baleganjur (Balinese gamelan) musicians, a 4-metre-high bull statue serving as the cremation structure, and the bade then prepared to escort the body from Jalan Raya Kedewatan to Taman Dedari. According to tradition, the front of the procession was led by baleganjur musicians. This was followed by a bull statue carried like an ogoh-ogoh, and behind them, the bade carrying Ida Pedanda Istri Purnama’s body was paraded to the cremation site. Several foreign tourists joined the procession, walking at the rear wearing full Balinese traditional attire or simply a kamen (sarong). Shortly after, the body was placed inside the bull structure and cremated at 15:28 WITA. The burning of the bull, part of the pelebon ritual, was witnessed by hundreds of residents of Bunutan Village. Ida Bagus Suarbawa stated his mother was a revered Hindu religious leader considered sacred across Bali. Personally, she was also respected and deemed sacred by the Banjar Bunutan community. ‘As an Ida Pedanda, she is considered sacred throughout Bali. But she is particularly regarded as sacred by the Banjar Bunutan community,’ Suarbawa said. Suarbawa added that his mother was known during her lifetime as a resilient and devout homemaker. In 1994, Istri Purnama officially became the highest Hindu religious leader in Bali. Ida Pedanda Istri Purnama is the sixth-generation descendant of pedanda (Hindu priests) at Griya Gede Bongkasa Kedewatan. For 40 years, she served as a spiritual leader and guide for Hindu communities in Banjar Bunutan and other villages across Bali. ‘Undoubtedly, she is regarded as sacred in Bunutan Village. However, she presided over religious ceremonies until completion, occasionally at temples in other villages as well,’ he said.