Story & Overview of Bali

History
Bali is a beautiful island that is in harmony with nature. It is also know worldwide for having a unique colorful spiritual culture are its many rituals and practices which originated thousands of years ago, and till to day they have survived. Such is the endurance of Balinese culture, which in turn reflects on the deep faith and resilience of the Balinese people. To study the roots of today's practices and how the have evolved from the original rituals is to take an interesting educational journey into the past.
In contrast to matters of religion, Bali's history if difficult to chronicle as factual evidence has not been collected. What is known is that at some stage in pre-historical times. An indigenous people populated the island. Their descendants, known as the Bali Aga, practiced animism. Today, they settle mainly in the villages of Tenganan and Trunyan and still continue to worship the spirits of nature, uninfluenced by the spread of Hinduism.
It was at Trunyan that the first stone tools were discovered on the island. They were believed to belonged to the Homo erectus people who live around 330.000 BC. However, since so little is known of Bali's stone-age inhabitants, it is usual to discuss Bali's history beginning with the Bronze Age. During this period, rice cultivation originated on the island. Which was introduced by people who migrated from the north more than 3.000 years ago or around 1000 BC?
By 300 BC, historical records were being kept, which identified a more and organized society. By then, complex irrigation system fed cascading rice terrace in wet rice cultivation. At this time rice was already well and truly established as the major food commodity in Bali, and as its abundance and importance increased, so did its value. Dewi Sri, the ancient rice goddess, was revered then as she still is today through cili figures given as offerings. Field on the large yields of rice crops, communities became more and more wealthy and developed into more sophisticated kingdoms, each with ruling rajahs.
One of the most dramatic and enduring developments in Bali's history came about when a form of Hinduism, which had been introduced to Java, was be sported to and widely accepted in Bali in the first century. This religion was, in fact, a fascinating mix of Siwa Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism, both originally from India and brought to Indonesia by Indian traders.
The peak of its success in Java came with the rise the Majapahit Empire, but these Majapahits were eventually forced further east to Bali as the Muslim religion gained followers trough out Sumatra and Java. Some Javanese shamanism was thrown in en- route, and by the time this religion reached Bali, it eventually merged with Bali's own form of animism. The foreign religion was welcomed enthusiastically by the Balinese, who was it as a further step to civilization. Any discussion of arts or architecture in Bali now usually refers to the "before Majapahit" period, which is distinguished by its primitive simplicity, or "after majapahit' whitch is much more elaborate and detailed.
The Balinese initially resisted the arrival of the new religion strongly, however, when the Majapahits first invaded Bali in 1343. Gajah Mada head of the Majapahit Empire, had an extremely tough opponent in the Balinese king, Dalem Bedahulu. The king ruled from Pejeng, now a simple village east of Ubud, and this is where much of the action took place. The king was so stubborn in his resistance that he becomes known by Majapahits as "Pig head". Stories embellishing the events relating to the king's incredible determination and skill have survived, and he is now known, literally as the king with the pig's head and magical powers. Gajah Mada eventually overcame the strong king, and has been accepted as a hero and great holy man ever since.
Up until the 15th century, the Majapahit kingdom maintained dominance in the area now knows as South East Asia, and Bali was an influential province. As the links between the mother religion and her of shoot in Bali slowly dissolved over time and due to distance, indigenous beliefs resurfaced.
European contact with Indonesia originated with Marco Polo's visit in AD 1290, and after this time a demand for spices and Indonesia's other natural resources grew. Travelers from Spain and Portugal then continued to return to Indonesia and visited Bali for the next 200 years, although the difficulty of entering and anchoring in Bali made it a less popular destination.
By Ad 1600, the Dutch East Indies Company had been set up in Java. Bali was declared as "New Holland" by a Dutch Admiral, who was warmly welcomed by the King at the time, Watu Renggong. With the death of this king, though, the seat of power in Klungkung diminished in importance and independent rule was established by local rajas.
At around the same time, the Majapahit Empire in Java disintegrated completely, the Majapahit Empire in Java disintegrated completely, and there was a sudden influx of Hindu refugees into Bali.
Intellectuals and artists, priests and princes, soldiers and artisans arrived in Bali with their
Precious books and records. Bali flourished with the sudden injection of creative ideas and skills, and the culture developed significantly. By beginning of the 19th century, Bali was still an isolated island relatively unaffected by the west, with its unique ever-evolving culture still intact.
The British East India Company introduced some opportunities for self-government to Bali in the early 1800s, after Holland's influence decreased as a result of the Napoleonic wars. When the Dutch returned to Indonesia and tried to gain sovereignty of Bali in the early 1840s, trouble flared. After sixty years, a mass suicide of Balinese families finally ended what had developed into an ongoing dispute. Rather than giving in the Dutch, ceremonial knives were used by the rajas and their families to end their misery and make a proud statement. Holland relented, and Bali survived the immediate threat of European influence.