Pasar Bolu Market

This traditional livestock market occurs every Tuesday and Saturday just north of the town of Rantepao in Toraja Utara. The livestock sold and bought in this market are various water buffaloes and large pigs.

Buffaloes, called "Tedong" in Basa Toraja, are very important to Torajan culture due to their significance in life and death rituals. These rituals are influenced by the ancestral religion of Aluk Todolo that believes buffaloes and pigs must be slaughtered to accompany and help the spirit of the deceased reach the land of souls or Puya. Torajan buffaloes are unique in that some are albino, white or light pink in color.