Why tourists are being warned to keep away from Bali burial site
WARNING - DISTURBING CONTENT: Curious tourists have been warned to stay away from a sacred burial site where bodies are laid to rest in above-ground graves as they decompose.
The Balinese village of Trunyan, north of Denpasar, takes part in a unique burial process where the dead are kept in bamboo cages beneath a sacred tree.
Bodies then are left to decompose, with all but their heads being wrapped in cloth before being delivered to their final resting place.
Bones and skulls are then collected and put on display inside the small village.
In a scathing post to Facebook, a tourist warned others not to pay for a tour to visit the site, near a village on Lake Kintamani, despite some saying it was a “must do’.
“To anyone considering going to this cemetery, perhaps reconsider. In places such as Bali where poverty is so prevalent, the temptation to exploit sacred cultural sites by a few is imminent,” the woman wrote.
She urged people to respect the local culture and not be lured in by their own curiosity.
“As humans we have a huge fascination with death and burials and I’m sure the majority don’t intend to disrespect the locals”.
Creating friction in Trunyan community
Another tourist agreed, claiming people who lived in the village were getting “really tired of folk turning up and trampling all over the place”.
“I was in Bali earlier this year and several Balinese folk that I spoke to, including guides, strongly discourage people visiting this site,” they wrote.
“Some locals who need the money will reluctantly take tourists on the boat over the lake, but this is causing friction in the local community.”
The same person also claimed the publicity had made way for “tourist scams and aggressive behaviour from non-local greedy tour operators”.
Another woman claimed she was taken to the village and a man from the village had encouraged her to get closer to the bodies and take photos.
There were mixed opinions on whether viewing the bodies was morally sound - some arguing it was family members that dressed them and had them on display.
“I was thinking about going on my next trip. I was justifying it as the Balinese often carry out their cremations quite publicly,” one lady wrote.
“Death is so personal, I don’t know why anyone would want to see this,” another said.
Someone else described the site a “beautiful place” having experienced first-hand.
But another person said while on a tour on the mainland, a guide explained it would be highly disrespectful for tourists to go to Trunyan.
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