History - Bali and Lombok - page 1

History

extended its power eastwards to the neighbouring island of Lombok and
even westwards across the strait to Java.
The collapse of Majapahit into weak, decadent petty kingdoms opened
the door for the spread of Islam, from the trading states of the north coast
in to heartland Java. As the Hindu states fell, many of the intelligentsia fled
to Bali. Notable among these was the priest Nirartha, who is credited with
introducing many of the complexities of Balinese religion to the island, as
well as establishing the chain of 'sea temples', which includes Pura Luhur
Ulu Watu (p132) and Pura Tanah Lot (p272). The court-supported artisans,
artists, dancers, musicians and actors also fled to Bali at this time and the
island experienced an explosion of cultural activity. The great exodus to Bali
was complete by the 16th century.
DUTCH DEALINGS
The first Europeans to set foot in Bali itself were Dutch seamen in 1597. Set-
ting a tradition that has prevailed to the present day, they fell in love with the
island and when Cornelius De Houtman, the ship's captain, prepared to set
sail from the island, two of his crew refused to come with him. At that time,
Balinese prosperity and artistic activity, at least among the royalty, was at a
peak, and the king who befriended de Houtman had 200 wives and a chariot
pulled by two white buffaloes, not to mention a retinue of 50 dwarfs, whose
bodies had been bent to resemble the handle of a kris (traditional dagger).
By the early 1600s, the Dutch had established trade treaties with Javanese
princes and controlled much of the spice trade, but they were interested in
profit, not culture, and barely gave Bali a second glance.
In 1710 the 'capital' of the Gelgel kingdom was shifted to nearby Klung-
kung (now called Semarapura), but local discontent was growing; lesser rulers
were breaking away, and the Dutch began to move in, using the old strategy
of divide and conquer. In 1846 the Dutch used Balinese salvage claims over
shipwrecks as a pretext to land military forces in northern Bali, bringing the
kingdoms of Buleleng and Jembrana under their control. Their cause was
also aided by the various Balinese princes who had gained ruling interests in
Lombok and thus were distracted from matters at home and also unaware
that the wily Dutch would use Lombok against Bali.
In 1894 the Dutch, the Balinese and the people of Lombok collided in
battles that would set the course of history for the next several decades. See
the boxed text, p32.
With the north of Bali long under Dutch control and the conquest of
Lombok successful, the south was never going to last long. Once again, it
was disputes over the ransacking of wrecked ships that gave the Dutch an
excuse to move in. In 1904, after a Chinese ship was wrecked off Sanur, Dutch
demands that the rajah (lord or prince) of Badung pay 3000 silver dollars in
damages were rejected, and in 1906 Dutch warships appeared at Sanur.
The Dutch forces landed despite Balinese opposition, and four days later
had marched 5km to the outskirts of Denpasar. On 20 September 1906 the
Dutch mounted a naval bombardment on Denpasar and began their final
assault. The three princes of Badung realised that they were completely
outnumbered and outgunned, and that defeat was inevitable. Surrender
and exile, however, would have been the worst imaginable outcome, so
they decided to take the honourable path of a suicidal puputan (a warrior's

There are few traces of Stone Age people on Bali, although it's certain that
the island was populated very early in prehistoric times - fossilised human-
oid remains from neighbouring Java have been dated to as early as 250,000
years ago. The earliest human artefacts found on Bali are stone tools and
earthenware vessels dug up near Cekik in western Bali, estimated to be 3000
years old. Discoveries continue, and you can see exhibits of bones that may be
4000 years old at the Museum Situs Purbakala Gilimanuk (p283). Artefacts
indicate that the Bronze Age began on Bali before 300 BC.
Little is known of Bali during the period when Indian traders brought
Hinduism to the Indonesian archipelago, although it is thought it was
embraced on the island by the 7th century. The earliest written records are
inscriptions on a stone pillar near Sanur, dating from around the 9th century
AD; by that time Bali had already developed many similarities to the island
you find today. Rice, for example, was grown with the help of a complex
irrigation system, probably very like that employed now, and the Balinese
had also begun to develop their rich cultural and artistic traditions.
If little is known about the earliest inhabitants of Bali, then even less is
known about Lombok until about the 17th century. Early inhabitants are
thought to have been Sasaks from a region encompassing today's India and
Myanmar.
HINDU INFLUENCE
Java began to spread its influence into Bali during the reign of King Airlangga
(101942), or perhaps even earlier. At the age of 16, when his uncle lost the
throne, Airlangga fled into the forests of western Java. He gradually gained
support, won back the kingdom once ruled by his uncle and went on to
become one of Java's greatest kings. Airlangga's mother had moved to Bali
and remarried shortly after his birth, so when he gained the throne there was
an immediate link between Java and Bali. At this time the courtly Javanese
language known as Kawi came into use among the royalty of Bali, and the
rock-cut memorials seen at Gunung Kawi, near Tampaksiring, are a clear
architectural link between Bali and 11th-century Java.
After Airlangga's death, Bali remained semi-independent until Ker-
tanagara became king of the Singasari dynasty in Java two centuries later.
Kertanagara conquered Bali in 1284, but the period of his greatest power
lasted a mere eight years, until he was murdered and his kingdom collapsed.
However, the great Majapahit dynasty was founded by his son, Vijaya (or
Wijaya). With Java in turmoil, Bali regained its autonomy, and the Pejeng
dynasty, centred near modern-day Ubud, rose to great power. In 1343 the
legendary Majapahit prime minister, Gajah Mada, defeated the Pejeng king
Dalem Bedaulu and brought Bali back under Javanese influence.
Although Gajah Mada brought much of the Indonesian archipelago under
Majapahit control, this was the furthest extent of their power. The 'capital'
was moved to Gelgel, in Bali near modern Semarapura, around the late 14th
century, and for the next two centuries this was the base for the 'king of Bali',
the Dewa Agung. The Gelgel dynasty in Bali, under Dalem Batur Enggong,

A serene little temple,
Pura Gede Perancak
(p279), marks the spot in
West Bali where Nirartha
landed in 1546.

Bali - A Paradise Created,
by Adrian Vickers, traces
Balinese history and
development by
concentrating on the
island's image in the
West.

A Short History of Bali -
Indonesia's Hindu Realm,
by Robert Pringle, is
a thoughtful analysis
of Bali's history from
the Bronze Age to the
present, with excellent
sections on the 2002
bombings and ongoing
environmental woes
caused by tourism and
development.

The Balinese rulers of
Lombok recognised Dutch
sovereignty in 1844,
however most of the
island's population had
other ideas and strife
continued for more than
50 years.