Ubud Residents Send Prince on Final Journey

For many people -- tourists, international media, and romantic Balinese -- the grand cremation ceremony held in Ubud was a clear example of the Balinese people's devotion toward royal patrons and the splendor and grandiose nature of their cultural heritage.
With a 28-meter-tall bade (tower used to carry the deceased's body to the cemetery), gigantic petulangan (wooden sarcophagus inside which the body is cremated) in the form of a black bull with golden horns, an elaborately decorated Naga Banda (giant dragon symbolizing the deceased's worldly attachments), a holy host group of 60 Hindu high priests and a watching crowd of around 15,000 people, the royal cremation was indeed a feast for the eyes.

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Indonesian President witnesses mass cremation in Bali

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono attended a mass cremation procession of 139 Balinese people, at Batur village, Bangli district, around 60 km east of Denpasar, on Wednesday.

The cremated remains included those belonging to Guru Nyoman Santi, the father of Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik.

Guru Nyoman Santi, who died at 94 years old, around 1.5 year ago, was one of the country's freedom fighters.

The first mass cremation was held in Bali in 1963 at the initiative of Nyoman Santi and his colleagues. It is for the first time that a mass cremation Hindu ritual was attended by Indonesia's head of state. (The Jakarta Post Newspaper article)