Tjokorda Ngurah Wim Sukawati passed away at the age of 90 on Feb. 24, 2013, in a hospital in Jakarta due to illnesses associated with old age. He was the son of the late king of Ubud, Tjokorda Gde Raka Sukawati and Gusti Agung Niang Putu. His remains arrived in Bali in late February and have been rested at the Puri Agung Ubud Royal Palace, 25 kilometers (Km) from Denpasar.
It has been a tradition of the Puri Agung Ubud royal family that when a family member dies, a grand traditional Balinese cremation ritual is performed. The ritual will use a nine-tiered, 22-meter-tall bade (cremation tower), a five-meter-long naga banda (dragon), and a five-meter-tall lembu (black bull) sarcophagus.
It took 30 days to construct the bade, naga banda and lembu.
The naga banda and bade weigh up to 5 tons, while the lembu is around 1 ton. Around 250 people from Banjar Ubud Kaja, Ubud Kelod, Ubud Sambahan and Bentuyung Sakti will take turns in carrying the bade and naga banda during the street procession. Meanwhile the lembu will be transported by some 100 villagers of Banjar Kutuh Kaja, Kutuh Kelod, Kutuh Tengah and Ubud Tengah.
Considering the height of the ritual equipment, which reaches up to 22 meters, state-owned electricity company PT PLN in Gianyar will turn off the electricity in the neighborhood, to avoid short circuits.