An odor-eating tree
On the eastern shore of Lake Batur, a large volcanic caldera in Bali, is the village of Trunyan. The community hosts the Bali Aga, or "original Balinese," an indigenous group that predates the Hindu Majapahit influence on the island. Their isolation, enforced by the surrounding steep crater walls, has preserved a unique funerary rite called Mepasah. Instead of cremation or burial, the Trunyanese practice a form of sky burial: they lay their dead on the surface of the ground.
The bodies are placed in a special cemetery, accessible only by boat, and each is covered by a triangular bamboo cage called an ancak saji. These cages protect the deceased from wild animals. Despite the presence of multiple decomposing bodies—the cemetery holds a maximum of eleven at a time—there is no putrid odor. Local tradition and observation attribute this phenomenon to a massive, ancient tree that dominates the site. The tree is called Taru Menyan, which translates to "fragrant tree," and the village of Trunyan derives its name from it. The tree, a type of banyan, is believed to be over 1,100 years old and emits a strong fragrance that masks and neutralizes the smell of decay. While the precise biochemical mechanism is not fully documented in scientific literature, The tree's resin is known to be aromatic, effectively a natural air purifier.
A ritual of rules and skulls
The Mepasah open-air burial is not for everyone. The Trunyanese follow strict rules determining who is eligible. This honor is reserved exclusively for married villagers who have died a natural death. Unmarried people, children, and anyone whose death was the result of an accident or suicide are not permitted in this specific cemetery. They are interred in a separate graveyard. The main cemetery has space for eleven bodies, corresponding to a nearby temple with eleven pagodas.
When an eligible person dies, their body is ritually washed and wrapped in cloth, leaving the head uncovered, before being taken by boat to the cemetery. Only men are permitted to transport the body; women are forbidden from attending the ceremony. This restriction stems from a belief that a woman's presence could provoke a landslide or an eruption from the nearby Mount Batur volcano. Once all eleven spots under the Taru Menyan tree are occupied, the longest-resting remains are moved to make way for the newly deceased. The bones are cleaned, and the skull is placed on a stone platform, creating a macabre altar of stacked skulls on the sacred ground.