Ngaben or cremation ceremony is arguably the most documented Balinese ceremony among hundreds of Balinse religious ceremonies. And of course the prima ballerina of Balinese cremation is the cremation tower or well known as Bade or Wadah. Bade or wadah is a tower which is used to carry the body of the deceased to the cremation ground.

Bade or Wadah is a pagoda-like structure with multi-tiered roof, constructed by a group of special craftsmen known as sangging with specific material such as bamboo, paper mace and cotton. The size, proportion and the structure of the bade is strictly governed by the ancient rules of bade construction. The height of the Bade could reach up to 25 meters and the weight around 10 ton. It is required a few hundreds of man to carry it.

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Pura Goa Lawah, Bat Cave Temple, lies just three km northeast of Kusamba Harbor and nine km east of Klungkung on the left side of dramatic road paralleling the sea with uninterrupted views of sea and Nusa Penida. As its name suggests Pura Gua Lawah houses a holy cave begins at the foot of rocky cliff and is said to extend all the way to the base of Mount Agung.

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Oral tradition says the cave leads to Pura Goa (cave temple) within the Besakih temple complex some 30 km away. A tale is told how a prince of Mengwi actually entered the sacred cave to prove that he was the rightful descendent of Mengwi king, and emerged at Besakih, but his feat was never duplicated – entering the cave is now forbidden.

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