Bali's open-air burials endure despite COVID-19 crisis

TRUNYAN, Indonesia: For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain.

"The funeral process remains the same but now we have to wear masks," explained village head Wayan Arjuna.Advertisement"We're afraid of getting COVID-19," said Arjuna, but added there was no suggestion of stopping the open-air burial process. The Bali Aga - or mountain people - who live in these isolated villages, claim to be descendants of the original Balinese. It is a short boat ride to their open-air cemetery from tiny Trunyan village, overlooked by volcano Mount Batur and a sprawling Hindu temple carved out of volcanic rock.

Nearby, a flesh-less foot poked out of clothing left on the bodies, while a skeletal jaw lay agape in another cage. Rubber sandals, cigarette packages, toothpaste tubes and pots and pans were scattered around the site, along with baskets filled with coins and crumpled money - all left by mourners for dead relatives to use in the afterlife."I don't know what the consequences would be if you took something but I believe in karma," he added.If the cages become full then older corpses are moved to an open ossuary, to make way for new ones.

The Bali Aga - or mountain people - who live in these isolated villages, claim to be descendents of the original Balinese and the main temple in Trunyan village dates back to the 10th century according to historical records.One legend has it that the area's early inhabitants fought over the prized Banyan tree, so to keep the peace, leaders decided to place the dead there, believing the smell from the corpses would make the spot less attractive.

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