Lemo

Lemo is a cliff cemetery about six kilometres south of Rantepao, widely considered the finest example of its kind in Tana Toraja. A vertical limestone face has been carved with rows of balconies, each containing one or more tau-tau effigies. The figures — dressed, painted, and periodically refreshed by families — peer out from their ledges with an intensity that is difficult to forget.

The scale of Lemo impresses even those who have already visited Kete Kesu. The carved balconies rise in stacked rows up the cliff, with the oldest graves at the bottom and newer ones higher up. A small market of local craft sellers operates at the base of the cliff. Lemo is best visited in the morning light.

things to do sight
A story
The balconies at Lemo were hand-carved out of solid limestone — the work took generations of local craftsmen. When a noble died, a new niche would be carved and a new tau-tau figure commissioned. The figures have outstretched hands because, in Torajan belief, the hands of the dead remain open to receive offerings from the living.