Trunyan

Trunyan is a village on the eastern shore of Lake Batur on the island of Bali, Indonesia. The settlement is notable for its traditional funerary customs and lakeside setting beneath the caldera rim.

The village is known for a lakeside burial ground where inhabitants historically left the deceased in bamboo cages under a large tree rather than cremating them, a practice that draws cultural interest. The lakeshore setting also provides views across Lake Batur toward the volcanic rim and Mount Batur.

Trunyan has long been inhabited by local Balinese communities who maintained distinctive ritual and funerary customs that differ from the island’s widespread cremation practices. The village and its customs have been documented by colonial-era and modern observers.

Trunyan sits on the eastern shore of Lake Batur within the Batur caldera near the Kintamani area of Bali; it is reached by a narrow road along the lakeshore from Kedisan or by boat across the lake.

• Access: A sealed but narrow road follows the shore from Kedisan to Trunyan, and boats cross the lake from the jetty at Kedisan; the cemetery at Kuban, a short way along the shore, is reached by boat.
• Traditional burial practice: Famous for a traditional burial ground where bodies are placed in bamboo cages on the ground beneath a sacred tree rather than cremated, a practice unique on Bali.

The villages of Trunyan and Kuban are home to Bali Aga people, descendants of the island’s population before the Javanese Majapahit conquest of the 14th century and the waves of Hindu Javanese settlement that followed. Trunyan kept many of its older customs in isolation on a narrow strip of shore between the lake and the cliffs of Mount Abang; until the road arrived, it could be reached only by boat or on foot.

Its best-known custom concerns the dead. Instead of being cremated, as elsewhere on Bali, the bodies of some villagers are wrapped in cloth and laid in shallow open graves under bamboo frames beneath a great taru menyan tree at the cemetery of Kuban, along the shore. The village takes its name from the tree: taru means tree and menyan fragrant, and its scent is said to mask any smell of decay, though local belief credits the god who dwells in the tree. See Trunyan Cemetery for more.

The village temple, Pura Pancering Jagat, is dedicated to the guardian deity of the village, said to be represented by a towering statue that is shown only during major ceremonies. Its tiered shrines, seen from the hillside behind, frame Gunung Batur across the lake. The road in from Kedisan is a highlight in itself, passing farms and fishing hamlets, with a viewpoint on the hill just before the village.

Trunyan lies on the eastern shore of Lake Batur. A narrow sealed road runs from Kedisan, at the bottom of the road down from Penelokan, along the lakeshore beneath Mount Abang to the village, a scenic drive of roughly 20 minutes. Boats also cross the lake from the jetty at Kedisan, usually stopping at the cemetery before the village; agree the itinerary and return time before you set off. The cemetery at Kuban is reached by boat, either from Kedisan or from Trunyan itself.

• Respect local customs: Trunyan’s funeral practices are sacred to the community and not a spectacle; ask permission before photographing.
• Come by the lakeshore road from Kedisan or by boat from the Kedisan jetty; boat schedules are informal, so agree the return time in advance.
• Wear a mosquito repellent and a respectful, modest outfit; the village sits on a narrow lakeshore strip and smells sometimes follow the ritual burials.