Whereas the Iban traditionally hung head-hunted heads outside each family’s bilik, the Bidayuh grouped theirs together in the community’s panggah or baruk (communal meeting hall). The heads are no longer believed to protect the village – these days the people of Annah Rais are almost all Anglican (and the Bidayuh of Kalimantan are mainly Catholic) – but about a dozen smoke-blackened human skulls still have pride of place in the headhouse, suspended near an 18th-century Dutch cannon.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.24 MILES
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28.45 MILES
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27.98 MILES
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17.22 MILES
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28.59 MILES
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Nearby Sarawak attractions
0.02 MILES
Once you've paid your entrance fee you’re free to explore Annah Rais’ three longhouses (Kupo Saba, Kupo Terekan and, across the river, Kupo Sijo).
0.04 MILES
Around 55km south of Kuching, this Bidayuh village is a popular option for travellers to Sarawak to explore longhouse life. Day trips are possible, but an…
10.68 MILES
In the barok (ritual hall) of this 32-door longhouse you can see about a dozen head-hunted skulls, bone white but tinged with green, hanging from the…
17.22 MILES
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18.63 MILES
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20.03 MILES
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21.8 MILES
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27.78 MILES
Built as a church in 1969 and granted cathedral status in 1976, this Roman Catholic cathedral is notable for its impressive belian (ironwood) roof.