Trunyan Village is located between Lake Batur and the outer crater rim of Mount Batur, and only accessible by boat. It is a Bali Aga village, inhabited by descendants of the original Balinese, the people who predate the arrival of Hindu Majapahit Kingdom in the 16th century.
Trunyan Village is well-known for its Pancering Jagat Temple, but visitors are not allowed to enter. There are also a couple of traditional Bali Aga-style houses, and a large banyan tree which is said to be more than 1.100 years old. In Kuban Village, close to Trunyan Village, there is a mysterious cemetery, separated by the lake and is only accessible by boat. Unlike the Balinese people, Trunyan people do not cremate or bury the corpse, but just lay the corpse out in bamboo cages to decompose or under a huge Taru Menyan (Menyan tree). Taru means ‘tree’ and Menyan means ‘aromatic smell’. The word ‘Trunyan’ is derived from these two words.
The tree is believed to absorb the bad smells and instead, produce aromatic smells. Loads of skulls and bones lie on the stone platform and the surrounding areas. The women of Trunyan are forbidden to go to the cemetery when a corpse is carried there. It is said that there will be a disaster in the village if a woman comes to the cemetery while a corpse is being carried there. It is a village inhabited by the ‘Origines’ of Bali Aga with its unique cultural aspects. This village is attainable only by boat from Kedisan village, crossing along lake Batur in 30 minutes.