Balinese History

Reward for saving ship and crew. In 1846, a dispute over such a case in buleleng gave the Dutch a pretext to land troops in north Bali . It took three years to the Dutch yo defeat the Balinese soldiers, who fought fiercely to the end. In 1849, the Dutch finally gained control over Buleleng, followed by Jembrana in west Bali .

Fighting Till the End

Over time, the Dutch defeated the Balinese kingdoms one by one, a task eased by the internal feuds that weakened them. Using the pretext of a revolt in Lombok in 1894, the invaders attackted and subdued the island thereby gaining control of Karangasem, then its vassalage. Feeling threayened by its neughbours, Gianyar put itself under Dutch protection in 1900. Bangli hesitated. Only the rich courts of Badung and Tabanan and the prestigious kingdom of Klungkung , heir to the rulers of Gelgel, remained independent.

In 1906, the Dutch used the pretext of a new shipwreck pillage to land in Sanur and attack Badung. Armed with shields and spears, the Balinese had no hope to win the battle against Dutch guns and surrender was

Out of question. As the Dutch were advancing toward Denpasar, they were surprised to see a procession of white-dressed men, women, and priest, all runing silently toward them. Ordered to stop, they accelerated instesd, to be mowed down a few metres from the stunned soldiers. The survivors turned their weapons against themselves in an orgy of sucidal killing: men and women stabbing each other, finishing off the injured while a priest were reciting mantras, ushering these noble souls to Wisnu's heaven.

What had started like a military promenade for the Dutch ended up a river of blood. Three thousand Balinese died during these puputan (literally, terminations) at the Kesiman, Satria, and Pemecutan palaces. Two years later, a similar puputan decimated the House of Klungkung. Arrested by the Dutch, the raja of Tabanan committed suicide rather than facing exile.