INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES SPRING 2016
Cremation is also a great public event , a distinctive ritual procession in which the soul of the deceased is expected to return to the creator through ritual acts . This culminates in the corpse being burnt , in a way that returns it to the original source from which it came . According to Balinese Hindu belief , the origins of the body derive from five main substances , or elements ; ether / akasa , light / teja , air / bayu , water / apah and soil / pertiwi called panca maha bhuta . The purpose of the cremation ritual is to return all substances that constitute the human being to the universe or its creator . Besides paying full respect and thankfulness to the creator , this ceremony is also part of an ancestral homage , in which there is life after death , forged by an intimate relationship between the ancestors and descendants as mentioned in the scriptures of Manawa Dharma Sastra . 3 If the ancestors have achieved the heavenly world , they will not abandon their descendants in this world , and therefore will maintain their health and prosperity . On the other hand , the reverse is also possible ; descendants may have bad experiences in their lives , as a result of their ancestors being poorly located in the universe . For this reason , the family of the deceased must prepare the rituals of the cremation ‘ with great effort ’, in order to achieve the best outcome for the soul of the deceased as well as their family .
In the cremation procession , the body of the deceased is placed in a casket and then is placed in a deceased building , called bade / wadah , which is sited in an auspicious location ( Suastika , 2008 ). The form of bade / wadah varies depending on the family ’ s ancestry and decorated with distinctive ornaments that give the site its shrine status . The timing of the procession can be determined in two ways ; firstly , the family of the deceased can arrange a cremation ceremony by requesting a date for the ceremony from the Hindu priest ; secondly , the family can choose to bury the body initially , and then after some time the body is exhumed and the cremation held as the next stage . However , the auspicious day of all ritual processions is ultimately determined by the Hindu priest , since he will lead the rituals and will be responsible for addressing both good and bad omens through offerings made during a special ceremony . The symbolic meaning of this ceremony is based on the scripture of Pamarissudha Alaning Dewasa . 4 The priest offers several dates as options for holding the ceremony , responding appropriately to the family ’ s time and financial circumstances . The length of time normally requires completing all ritual acts in the ceremony within three weeks , but may in certain circumstances be up to three months .
As the case study for this investigation , Tabanan is a town located in the southern part of Bali and is the capital of the Tabanan Regency ( Figure 1 ). The town has a long history which is closely related to the royal palace of Tabanan . The first royal palace was built in 1352 in the village of Buahan , and then moved further south-west to Tabanan , later serving as the new royal palace ( Tabanan kingdom ). From this complex of buildings developed a flourishing village . Throughout its history , the Tabanan has formed an integral part of the
3
The scripture of Manawa Dharma Sastra ( III . 82 ) stipulates that that cremation ritual is a form of respect and thankfulness to the ancestors since we are in the world because of them , see Pudja ( 1983:78 ).
4
The scripture of Pamarisudha Alaning Dewasa regulates about kinds of ritual to solve any bad omens during a special ceremony , see Anom ( 2002:46 ).
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