Today Tonny and I drove up to Ubud to watch my first Balinese Hindu funeral, called Ngaben. It was incredibly hot and crowded; not to mention every spot of shade was taken, so we didn't stay for the whole thing.
This article from The Jakarta Post explains it a lot better than I can. I recommend you read it: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/07/17/ubud-residents-send-prince-final-journey.html
The first photo shows the 92-foot-tall bade and the platform built to help place the coffin on it. The next photo shows the Prince being placed in the bade, the following photo is of the village men patiently waiting under the bade to carry it to the ceremonial grounds.
The Prince's two granddaughters were beautifully dressed and carried on their litter vehicles by the local men.
The feeling in the air was not of sadness. I actually heard lots of cheers and applause; especially as the prince was placed on the bade. To perform one of these ceremonies requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice of the locals of Ubud and after seeing it first hand, I can see why.
