Dutch Colonial Era & Puputan

The Dutch East India Company (VOC) established trading posts on Bali from the 17th century but could not subdue the island for a long time. The Balinese kingdoms were militarily strong and politically astute. It was not until the 19th century that the Dutch began systematically conquering the island — the north (Buleleng) fell in 1849 after bloody battles.

The South Bali kingdoms resisted to the bitter end. What followed is one of the most harrowing chapters in colonial history:

On September 20, 1906, Dutch troops marched on the royal palace of Denpasar (Badung). Instead of surrendering, the king, his family, and hundreds of courtiers, dressed in ceremonial white, marched towards the enemy — and ran directly into the Dutch rifles. This was the Puputan (literally: "the end") — a ritual mass suicide where the Balinese preferred death to submission. Those not hit by bullets stabbed themselves with the kris (dagger).

Up to 1,000 Balinese died in the Puputan of Badung. Two years later, in 1908, the tragedy repeated in Klungkung: The Deva Agung (king) and 200 followers chose the same path. The Dutch soldiers, who had expected little resistance, were shocked. Reports of the Puputan caused outrage in Europe and severely damaged the colonial power's reputation.

The Puputan Monument on Lapangan Puputan in Denpasar commemorates this tragedy — it is a place of silent mourning and national pride.