rock tombs near the village of Pana
Village with multiple rock-hewn tombs as well as tree-based children graves
Donwslope from Batutumonga a trail leads to the village of Pana, mostly known again for its graves. In a rock face, across a valley just off the road, many tombs have been carved out, all the way from top to bottom. They look to be older than the Lokomata ones, most tombs do not seem to be maintained anymore. Bones and skulls have spilled out of the tombs onto the valley floor.
a crashed coffin, complete with bones and skulls spilled on the valley floor
rock tomb stuffed full of dead bodies
baby graves, on platforms high up in the trees
A little further platforms have been built in the trees, containing – or so we were told – the bodies of deceased babies. At a certain stage these, too, must come crashing down, once the wood of the platforms rots away, but in Tana Toraja that is all part of the culture, nobody has a problem with encountering human bones of deceased family members, after some time.
Next are the burial sites south of Rantepao, starting with Londa (or jump straight away to spectacular Tampangallo).
view of the whole rock face containing tombs
