Bali History

THE HISTORY OF BALI is a journey through time when Hinduism was introduced from far away India and adopted by the Majapahit Javanese - the dominant force of the time. In the 9th century, Bali was conquered and fell under the influence of the Majapahit empire. Expansion was followed by decline and in the 14th and 15th centuries the influence of the Javanese began to wane. In 1540, Bali was united under Dewa Agung (God King), a powerful and charismatic ruler who briefly ruled parts of Java.



The Dutch came and sailed away in 1597, not returning for a further 250 years. Unable to exert any real influence on the defiantly individualistic Balinese, the island nation was left alone. During the Napoleonic Wars, Sir Stamford Raffles visited the island, but his plans for a trading station came to nought as in 1817 the colony was handed back to the Dutch.

The Dutch tried to invade again in 1846 and 1848, but were defeated by the Balinese. However, after fierce battles they gained control over much of the island but continued to face resistance from the Balinese which culminated in the mass suicides of the royal families of the Raja of Badung in 1906 and Dewa Agung in 1908.