Stone sarcophagi
Carved from single blocks of rock.
Really Rin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Really Rin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Really Rin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lim Natee — CC BY-SA 4.0
A complex of ancient stone tombs in Tomok village on Samosir island in the middle of Lake Toba, where King Sidabutar, the first king of the Sidabutar clan to settle in Tomok, lies with his descendants. The complex is thought to be more than four centuries old and is one of the best-known monuments of Toba Batak culture. Its highlights are huge stone sarcophagi carved from single blocks of rock, each with a carved human head at one end bearing the king's features, one topped by a small figure of a woman said to be his beloved, and other stone carvings and statues guarding the graves beneath an old tree. Local guides explain the kings' stories and the carvings' symbols. Entry is by voluntary donation, and visitors must drape a piece of woven Batak ulos cloth over their shoulder out of respect, handed out at the entrance. A souvenir and textile market surrounds the tomb. Tomok is the point on Samosir closest to Parapat, about half an hour by ferry, so the tomb is usually visitors' first stop. Combine it with the dancing wooden Sigale-gale puppet show in the same village.
Carved from single blocks of rock.
A carved head on the sarcophagus.
Among Samosir's best-known monuments.
Tomok village, east coast of Samosir island
Ulos is a woven cloth sacred to the Batak, given at major occasions; draping it over the shoulder is a sign of respect for the ancestors buried here. It is lent free at the entrance and returned on leaving.