First phase: Bamboo is woven into bulls and lions in the first step of making a sarcophagus.

An army of gilded cattle and lions attract dozens of tourists daily to the village hall in Tengkulak Kaja.

With their golden crowns, gem-encrusted neck pieces and staring eyes formed of colored strings, the beasts represent the last journey for the travelers they will carry in wisps of smoke and ash into the heavens.

Dressed in the national colors of red and white, the lions, who with the bulls will leave this earth in a mass cremation on Independence Day, Aug. 17, give their riders the ultimate freedom, as the souls of the deceased swirl away during the cremation of these vehicles for the dead.

Precision and patience: Eyes of the sarcophagi are painstakingly formed with colored string.

The choice to hold the cremations for these 25 sarcophagi on Independence Day is coincidence and the red and white trappings of the lions are simply the way it has always been, says village head Ketut Bawa.

'€œThere is no relationship to Independence Day with our holding the cremation on Aug. 17. That day is what we call a hari baik '€” a good day for cremations. As to the colors of the lions, we'€™ve always used the red and white for the lions and black and white for the bulls. I don'€™t really know why we have these colors, it'€™s always been that way,'€ says Ketut, adding that different families have either the bull or the lion as their sarcophagus, again because that is the way it has always been.

'€œSome people need bulls and some lions. The vehicle type is passed down the generations, but the place they arrive at is the same. These are different vehicles, just like cars or trains in mudik [homeward-bound travel for Lebaran '€” they still get you to where you need to go,'€ says Ketut, who at 43 years of age has helped out in many community cremations.

The mass funeral also pulls together the entire community in preparations. Hundreds of local men meet daily at the village hall to build the sarcophagi, whether they are sending off loved ones or not.

Seated on the ground, dozens of men from boyhood to old age are cutting out colored paper to form decorations for the sarcophagi while others carve wood into intricate patterns to decorate the boxes that will house the ashes and bone remnants of the dead after the cremation.

'€œThere are at least 50 to 100 men and boys working here every day since we began preparations on July 25. First we made the bamboo basketry to form the shapes of the sarcophagi, then paper mache over the frames and now we do the decorations,'€ says Ketut, adding that each family and the village donates to fund the spirit vehicles and cremations, which for mass cremations can cost around US$1,500 '€“ or, if you go it alone, well over $5,000.

Decorating the sarcophagi is a joyous time, says Ketut. However, whether the gods are made happy by this work of men is outside his ken. '€œWe are happy to see the sarcophagi looking so beautiful, but how the gods feel we don'€™t know, but we are sure that if we humans are happy the gods are happy, too.'€

While the main focus of building the sarcophagi is to send off loved ones with dignity and prayer, the gotong royong, or working together voluntarily, is important in maintaining community ties.

'€˜Gotong Royong'€™: Men work together in gotong royong (cooperation) forming the eyes of the sarcophagi that will carry the souls of the dead to heaven.

Wood carver, Wayan Kulak is working on his 10th community cremation spanning 30 years. He says gotong royong in communities is the life blood for healthy relationships between neighbors.

'€œAt least 10 times I have helped prepare the sarcophagi. I don'€™t have anyone to send off, I am just helping out in gotong royong. I feel working together like this is important for our community, it binds us all together,'€ says Wayan. He adds that the tradition of cremations followed by Balinese for centuries also binds the people to history and religion; that despite the pressures of modern daily life and the high cost associated with ceremonial cremations these historical bonds cannot be severed.

'€œWe, as Balinese, will never lose this tradition, because Balinese culture is still strong. Perhaps the form may change, become more modern, but gotong royong and our way of sending off the dead can never be lost,'€ says Wayan.

The skills and mores associated with cremation preparations are handed down over the generations. In Tengkulak Kaja, the young boys learn the ways of consecrating the dead at the knees of their elders. This passing on of rites is key to cultural maintenance, explains Wayan.

Sitting cross-legged in a sarong with sunglasses pushed atop his head is Ari Krishna. Working on sarcophagi decorations with a sure hand, the 18 year old explains he has been helping out and learning since he was in primary school.

'€œI started working with the men when I was 6 years of age. I still like doing this because I will be able to teach my kids in the future, and our ways will continue down the generations.'€

'€” Photos by JB/Djwan