Miguel Covarrubias, the famous Mexican amateur anthropologist and
intrepid traveller, wrote in 1937 in his classic work Island of Bali
that "it seems difficult to reconcile the soft-mannered, peace-loving
Balinese we know with the intrigue and violence of their turbulent
past." And indeed the historians of Bali's past thousand years tell
tales that would put any modern soap opera to shame: stories of the rise
and fall of kingdoms, of bloody battles waged and beautiful maidens
won, of princes gifted with magical powers warding off evil demons
disguised as fierce, fanged monkeys and vicious, razor-beaked birds.
Bali's
written history begins in the 8th century, when Java's Indianized
kingdoms turned an eye toward the island's bounty. The Javanese, who had
already been introduced to the Buddhist and Hindu religions by South
Asian traders, spread these teachings to Bali, along with the knowledge
of writing in the Old Javanese language - known in Bali as Kawi - which
soon became the medium of communication for Bali's elites. By the 10th
century, Balinese art, religion and culture had taken on a decidedly
Indian appearance. One important relic of this era can be found today in
the midst of modern Sanur: the Prasasti Belanjong, an inscribed
monument dated 913 A.D. - making it Bali's earliest dated artifact -
that tells the tale of a Javanese king and his journey to Bali.
The
11th century saw the birth of one of Bali's most influential historical
figures: Airlangga, son of the Balinese Prince Udayana and the Javanese
Princess Mahendratta. Airlangga journeyed to Java, where he ascended
the throne of a dynasty that would rule on that island for the next 300
years. During Airlangga's lifetime, contacts between Java and Bali grew
increasingly close. Out of this cross-fertilization of cultures came a
number of social features that would mark the face of Bali for centuries
to come: rituals presided over by Hindu priests chanting holy mantras,
temples devoted to the worship of gods and divine ancestors, and the
means to effect magic, both good and evil, to harm one's enemies or heal
one's friends.
