Bali’s fascinating and spiritual culture began thousands of years ago and remains authentic and vibrant today, even with the influx of a burgeoning tourist industry. As much as can be determined, the indigenous people, called Bali Aga, practiced animism. Today, the residents of Tenganan Pegringsingan, Trunyan Village and the few other remaining Bali Aga villages still preserve their age-old beliefs, lending visitors a glimpse into the past.
The oldest artifacts unearthed on Bali originate from around 1000 B.C. Other pieces indicate that the Bronze Age here started sometime before 300 B.C. Bedulu Archaeological Museum displays some of the more obscure early Balinese history, while the stupendous 11th-century rock carvings at Gunung Kawi and Goa Gaja. The Yeh Pulu showcases some of Bali's largest relics, many from the 14th century.
Hinduism began penetrating into Bali when King Airlangga (1019-1042) took the throne in Java. His mother was staying in Bali at that time, resulting in a strong connection between the two islands and the creation of Balinese Hinduism—a unique mix of Buddhism, Javanese shamanism and the animistic religion then practiced in Bali.
In 1343, the Majapahit Empire, lead by Gajah Mada, first invaded Bali after being driven out of Java by the Muslims. This event roughly coincided with the construction of Pura Masopahit. The great King Dalem Bedaulu and his mighty minister Kebo Iwa were then ruling from a base known today as the simple village of Bedulu, east of Ubud. The Kebo Iwa Statue now rests within Pura Gaduh.
After ousting King Dalem, Gajah Mada reigned and became a revered holy man. Scholars, dancers, artists and many others immigrated from Java, leading to a massive influx of Javanese Hindu culture to the small remote island.
By 1710, Bali was governed by the mighty Gelgel Kingdom, whose seat of power had moved to Klungkung. Kerta Gosa, or the hall of justice, Klungkung Royal Palace and Pura Dasar stand as silent testimony to the kingdom’s glorious past. Pura Penataran Jero Agung, the most sacred temple in the area, occupies the grounds of a former Gelgel Palace.
In 1846, the Dutch military invaded the island from the north, near present-day Singaraja. Much later in 1906, they landed on the southern coast, near Sanur Beach, and moved into Denpasar. On 20 September 1906, the three princes of Badung realized they would be defeated. Instead of surrendering, they opted for a puputan, a suicidal fight to the end. Dressed in their finest clothes and jewelry, wielding gold krises, the rajah and his court ran out to face an honorable death. Puputan Square in the center of Denpasar commemorates this clash, where 4,000 Balinese lost their lives.
The Dutch then marched to Tabanan, and kingdom after kingdom fell to their hands. The final battle in April 1908 resulted in another puputan, this time with the mighty rajah of Klungkung and the island yielding completely to Dutch rule. Museum Semarajaya recounts this 1908 puputan and holds other artifacts from this turbulent period in Bali’s history. The Dutch dominion over Bali lasted until Indonesia succumbed to Japanese control in World War II (WWII).
The early 1900s brought a different type of invasion: tourism. Bali’s exotic beauty and culture began to draw people to the island. Some, including German painter Walter Spies, whose home now forms part of Hotel Tjampuhan Ubud, decided to settle here. Spies and other foreign artists helped spur the growth of Balinese art, which was originally produced mainly to decorate temples and palaces.
Local artists began to realize that paintings were an individual art form that could be produced and sold. The Museum of Fine Arts houses many works representing this new era in Balinese painting. Unfortunately, the beginnings of tourism stalled with the onset of WWII and the Japanese takeover. Goa Jepang and the Japanese shipwreck off the coast of Amed offer insight into life during the Japanese occupation.
On August 17, 1945, following the end of WWII, modern Indonesia’s founding father, Soekarno, declared the country’s independence. The Dutch initially refused to recognize Indonesia as a sovereign nation, inciting yet another puputan. A Balinese resistance group, armed only with sharpened bamboo poles, was utterly destroyed by the Dutch in the battle of Marga on 20 November 1946. The Margarana Monument and Museum, standing on the site of this devastating combat, honors the fighters who sacrificed their lives, while Ngurah Rai Airport was named after the fearless leader.
Even after gaining independence, Bali remained an unsettled land. The violent eruption of Mount Agung in 1963 killed thousands, wiped out large areas and gave many Balinese little choice but to move to other parts of the country. Then in 1965, following an attempted communist coup, Bali witnessed some of the most brutal anti-communist killings in the country. With independence, the island also had to conform to the government’s decree that all Indonesians must worship one God. Pura Jagatnatha, dedicated to the supreme god, provided an answer to this order.
The second Indonesian president, Suharto, saw Bali as a potential travel destination and reopened it to tourism in the late 1960s. One of the first big hotels built was The Grand Bali Beach in Sanur. The influx of tourists and their money helped pay for vast improvements in infrastructure, including better roads, schools and health care. Artists flocked to Ubud to study traditional Balinese art forms, backpackers came to explore the natural beauty, and surfers began to recognize the island’s many world-class surf breaks, such as Uluwatu and Padang-Padang.
Modern Bali continues to attract all kinds of travelers. Some of the world’s greatest hotels and resorts lie on the island. Its people continue to struggle over the choice between modernization and tourism, and their rich cultural traditions. Although it has suffered some adverse social and environmental effects of tourism and rapid development, Bali’s cultural heritage has withstood the test of time and remains little changed today.