Image: Lions set alight

Lions set alight. Sukawati, Bali 1972.

Photographer:

Australian Museum Archives

Rights:

© Australian Museum

Additional information

Balinese religion is based on respect for and worship of God and ancestors, and is a combination of Hindu elements and indigenous Balinese culture. After death, the body must be dissolved and returned to its original elements. The cremation ritual is a purification rite which frees the roh (soul or spirit) from its temporary earthly house and facilitates its journey to its next existence.

Last Updated: 27 October 2009

Tags Death Online, disposing of the dead, cremation, Bali, Balinese, ceremony, ritual, custom, tradition,