The island's first Hindu crematorium was opened in north Denpasar on Sunday, meaning outcast Balinese Hindus can now cremate deceased relatives without the permission of powerful neighborhood community associations.
The crematorium was built and is being managed by Maha Gotra Pasek Sanak Sapta Rsi (MGPSSR), arguably the largest clan-based organization in Bali with more than 1 million members, including descendants of the seven sages of ancient Bali.
The crematorium was launched during the Pasamuhan Agung annual executive committee in north Denpasar.
MGPSSR chairman Prof. Dr. I Wayan Wita said one of the main reasons for establishing the crematorium was to provide an elegant solution to ease the conflicts between the island's two age-old powerful associations; desa pekraman (traditional customary village) and banjar (traditional neighborhood organization).
The island has nearly 1,500 desa pekraman and around 5,000 banjar. The traditional institutions still faithfully enact customary Balinese laws, often placing them at odds with individual members.
Traditionally, those who are outspoken against the laws of the organizations are subjected to kasepekang (isolation) as a punishment.
Such an outcast would be denied access to the village's facilities, including temples, wells and cemeteries.
Consequently, the outcast would not be able to cremate or bury deceased members of his family.
In recent years, such traditional punishments have triggered a number of violent backlashes, including by members of desa pekraman and banjar and the relatives of outcasts.
In one incident in East Bali, a dead body was left on the side of a road for hours while relatives of the deceased squared off against members of the local desa pekraman from opposite sides of the road.
"This kind of problem has really embarrassed us as Hindus. Sometimes I wonder what the followers of other religions would think if they knew about this problem," Wita said.
With the establishment of the crematorium, outcasts now can cremate their deceased relatives as part of a proper ceremony.
"This crematorium is also for Balinese Hindus of different ethnic groups -- Balinese migrant workers, unidentified dead bodies in hospital morgues and adherents of other religious beliefs," he said.
Commenting on the possibility the crematorium could spark discord between the community organizations and MGPSSR, Wita said MGPSSR had covered its bases.
"We have discussed the plan to build the crematorium with leaders and figures from several different soroh (clan), and they have given their blessings. The local administration has also expressed its support for the plan," he said.
The chairman of the Bali Parisadha Hindu Council (PHDI), I. Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, said he believed the crematorium would spark public controversy.
"That's a very common phenomenon here in Bali. When a fellow Balinese tries to do a good thing, the other Balinese will scream in opposition," he said.
The religious body, Sudiana said, had offered its full support for the crematorium and had added it hoped more crematoriums would be constructed in Bali to provide the Balinese Hindus with a more efficient and healthier alternative to the existing open air cremations.
"The crematorium is an intelligent answer to our current problem," he said.
The construction of the crematorium began last June. The incineration facility and religious shrines were completed recently.
"Now we are ready to operate the crematorium," Wita said.
Built in Kedua village in north Denpasar, the crematorium is set on a 600-square-meter plot of land. The project is expected to cost MGPSSR more than Rp 1 billion (US$83,333).
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