Royal family prepares for grand cremation

Royal family prepares for grand cremation

I Wayan Juniartha, Ubud

Thousands of people, Balinese and foreigners alike, are expected to crowd the sleepy town of Ubud this weekend when the royal family of Ubud holds a grand cremation for the twin sister of its last raja.

The ceremony, known as palebon, will involve members of at least 15 banjar (traditional neighborhood associations) in Ubud and its surrounding areas. It will also be a clear testament to the royal family's ability to maintain its sphere of influence in these modern times and of the Balinese people's loyalty to the families of their ancient rulers.

For the royal family of Ubud, the ceremony is a way to show their asih (love) and bhakti (devotion) to one of its respected figures, the late Tjokorda Istri Muter, who passed away on June 5.

Born in 1910, Tjokorda Istri Muter was the twin sister of the late Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati, Ubud's last raja and the island's great patron of the arts.

In Balinese royal families, the birth of kembar buncing twins, in which one of the twins is male and the other female, is considered an auspicious event that will bring peace and prosperity to the land.

"Because the deceased was the twin sister of Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati the upcoming palebon will involve a naga banda," the deceased's son Tjokorda Agung Suyasa said.

The use of naga banda, a giant dragon effigy, is usually reserved for palebon ceremonies for the Dewa Agung of Klungkung, who in ancient times was considered the king of Bali and Lombok, and a handful of royal families in other parts of Bali, such as Ubud and Gianyar.

The naga banda symbolizes the worldly desires, attachments and ambitions that bind the soul of a ruler, thus, preventing him or her from leaving this world and entering heaven.

During the palebon ceremony, a Hindu high priest will take a ceremonial bow and shoot the naga banda in a symbolic act of releasing the deceased's soul from the coils of desire.

"The naga banda was constructed by I Gusti Ketut Sudara, the grandchild of the late I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, Ubud's world-famous sculptor," royal prince Tjokorda Raka Kerthyasa said.

Besides the naga banda, another element of the ceremony that will surely attract the attention of visitors is the bade, a wooden tower that will be used to transport the deceased's body from the royal compound to the cemetery.

"The bade is 25 meters tall and has nine levels. Carved masks of nine mythological figures and animals are placed on those levels," Kerthyasa said.

The grandest bade has 11 levels and 11 masks and is reserved for the palebon of a king.

A smaller bade has also been constructed to carry the body of another royal family member, Henny Sudarsana, the wife of Tjokorda Oka Sudharsana. Moreover, the people of Ubud have also built at least 56 small bade to carry the bodies of the commoners who will be cremated on the same day.

"All roads to Ubud's downtown will be closed on Saturday morning, starting at 8 a.m., because at that time all of the bade will be placed on the town's major street and a purification ritual will be performed on them," Kerthyasa said.

Ida Pedanda of Griya Aan, Klungkung, will act as the Yajamana, the officiating high priest in the palebon. He will be assisted by Ida Pedanda Boda of Laplapan, Ubud.

Some people and media outlets have already called the event the biggest palebon of the century. The royal family, however, seems reluctant to put any label on the ceremony.

"To tell you the truth, we have conducted several palebon in the past that were equal in size and measure with this one," Kerthyasa said.

However, Kerthyasa said that size and measure according to Balinese Hindu texts on sacrificial offerings were quite different from other people's definitions.

For instance, in determining whether a bade is grand or not, the height of the bade for the Balinese is much less significant than the number of levels and masks it has.

"I think that the most interesting thing will be the social impact of the ceremony. Given the fact that electricity and phone lines will be cut off to give way for the bade, we are wondering whether the ceremony will trigger a wave of complaints from the residents of Ubud," Kerthyasa said.