Hundreds of thousands attend Bali royal cremation

The remains of two Balinese royals were cremated Tuesday before some 250,000 loyal subjects after being carried through this hillside town in huge spinning pyres representing the universe.

The bodies of Ubud royal family head Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa, who died in March after a long illness, and a lesser relative were cremated near their palace here in one of the largest royal funerals in local memory.

"This is the biggest ceremony that I have ever seen in my life. I don't think there'll be anything like this again until I die," said artisan Wayan Suta, 42, who was in the crowd with his six-year-old son.

"They are our kings so I needed to attend to express my respect."

Thousands of people from all walks of life took part in the preparations, including the construction of the papier-mache pyre towers which formed the centrepiece of the spectacular funeral procession.

The two-kilometre (1.3 mile) funeral march took the bodies from the town's main temple, where they had been lying in state since Saturday, to the royal cemetery where the pyres were set alight.

The royal family of Ubud, the heartland of traditional Balinese arts, is one of the most revered on the mainly Hindu island.