Located near Lake Batur, Trunyan village is right at the center of Bali at the Kintamani district which can only be accessed by a boat.
The village of Trunyan is squeezed tightly between the lake and the outer crater rim of Batur, an almighty volcano in Kintamani.
This is a Bali Aga village, inhabited by descendants of the original Balinese, the people who predate the arrival of the Hindu Majapahit kingdom in the 16th century.
It is famous for the Pura Pancering Jagat temple, but unfortunately, visitors are not allowed inside.
The village is home to the Bali Anga, who have the most interesting funerary ritual. The Bali Aga temple in this village is named Puser Jagat, meaning Navel of the Universe.
Its architecture is highly unusual and stands in the protective shade of a massive banyan tree.
The Bali Aga has a strange way of burial. Instead of cremating their corpses, the Bali Aga simply places them under this banyan tree.
At Kuban sub-village close to Trunyan is a mysterious cemetery that is separated by the lake and accessible only by boat, there is no path along the steep walls of the crater rim.
The dead bodies don’t produce bad smells because of the perfumed scents from a huge Taru Menyan tree growing nearby. Taru means ‘tree’ and Menyan means ‘nice smell’. The odor is mysteriously masked by a special arboreal fragrance emitted by the banyan tree.
There is also a couple of traditional Bali Aga-style dwellings, and a large banyan tree, which is said to be more than 1,100 years old.
How to Get There
To reach Trunyan Village is not too difficult, you can travel by public transportation or your private car approximately 3 hours from Denpasar.
The location lies on the small village in Batur, one can only reach this site by boat, a small fleet of which awaits visitors at the end of a wooden jetty where the stunning Mount Batur looks on.
Crossing the lake to Trunyan takes between 20-30 minutes and upon arrival, a small huddle of men awaits any arriving boats.
