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28.August.2008
ASEAN agrees to trade pact with Australia
Southeast Asian countries said they reached a tentative agreement with Australia and New Zealand on a comprehensive free trade pact more detail |
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With the reputation of being one of the most beautiful and diverse tourist destination in Asia, Bali annually attraction almost 1,000,000 visitors from around the world.
Geographically, Bali is situated between the island of Java and Lombok. Bali is small, stretching approximately 140km from east to West, 80km from north to south. The tallest of a string of volcanic mountains that the runs from the east to west, is mount Agung that last erupted in 1963.
Just 8 degree south of the Equator, Bali boasts a tropical climate with two seasons a year (wet and dry), with an average temperatire of 28 degree Celcius. The wide and gently sloping southern region play host to Bali’s famed rice-terraces, Which are among the most spectacular in the world. In the hilly, northern coastal regions, the main produces are coffee, copra, spices, vegetables,cattle and rice.
The Balinese people have strong spiritual roots and despite the large influx of tourists over the years, their culture is stillvery much alive. The main religion is Agama Hindu Dharma, which, although originally from India, comprises of a unique blend of Hindu, Buddhist, Javanese and ancient indigenous beliefs, it is vety different from the Hindusm practiced in India today.
Naturally creative, the Balinese people have traditionally used their talents for religius purposes and most of the beautiful work to be seen on the island has been inspired by stories from the Ramayana and other Hindu epics.
The majority of Bali’s 3,000,000 people live in tight village communities with large extended families. The largest towns are Denpasar (capital city) and Singaraja in the north. The main tourist area stretches from Kuta to Seminyak. Kuta became a major attraction during the tourist boom of the 1970’s because of it’s famous white sand beaches. The surf and stunning sunsets. Today, the Kuta to Seminyak stretch is an extremely popular tourist destination with hundreds of hotels, bars restaurants and shops. Those in search of some peace and quiet tend to head to the more sedate resorts of Sanur and Candi Dasa on the east coast, or Lovina in the north. Nusa Dua on the southern-most peninsula of the island, houses many five-stars resorts. The central village of Ubud, in the hilly region of Gianyar, has also blossomed as a tourist attraction and is now considered to be the artistic and cultural centre of Bali.
Although there are no artifacts or records dating back to the Stone Age, it is believed that the first settlers on Bali migrated from China around 2500 B.C. By the Bronze era, around 300 B.C., a fairly evolved culture already existed on Bali. The complex system of irrigation and rice production, still in use today, was established around this time.
It appears that the main religion around 500 A.D. was predominantly Buddhist in influence. In 670 A.D., a Chinese scholar (Yi-Tsing), on a trip to India, reported that he had visited a Buddhist country called Bali.
It wasn’t until the 11th century that Bali received the first strong influx of Hindu and Javanese cultures. With the death of his father around AD 1011, the Balinese Prince, Airlanggha, moved to East Java and set about uniting it under one principality. Having succeeded, he then appointed his brother, Anak Wungsu, as ruler of Bali. During the ensuing period there was a reciprocation of political and artistic ideas. The old Javanese language, Kawi, became the language used by the aristocracy, one of the many Javanese traits and customs adopted by the cause.
With the death of Airlanggha, in the middle of the 11th century, Bali enjoyed a period of autonomy. However, this proved to be short-lived, as in 1284 the East Javanese King Kertanegara, conquered Bali and ruled over it from Java. In 1292, Kertanegara was murdered and Bali took the opportunity to liberate itself once again. However, in 1343, Bali was brought back under Javanese control by its defeat at the hands of Gajah Mada, a general in the last of the great Hindu-Javanese empires, the Majapahit. With the spread of Islam throughout Sumatra and Java during the 16th century, the Majapahit empire began to collapse and a large exodus of aristocracy, priests, artists and artisans to Bali ensued. For a while Bali flourished and the following centuries were considered the Golden Age of Bali’s cultural history. The principality of Gelgel, near Klungkung, became a major centre for the Arts, and Bali became the major power of the region, taking control of neighbouring Lombok and parts of East Java
The first Dutch seamen set foot on Bali in 1597, yet it wasn’t until the 1800’s that the Dutch showed an interest in colonizing the island. In 1846, having had large areas of Indonesia under their control since the 1700’s, the Dutch government sent troops into northern Bali. In 1894, Dutch forces sided with the Sasak people of Lombok to defeat their Balinese rulers. By 1911, all the Balinese principalities had either been defeated in battle, or had capitulated, leaving the whole island under Dutch control. During World War II, the Dutch were expelled by the Japanese, who had occupied Indonesia from 1942 to 1945.
After the Japanese defeat, the Dutch tried to regain control of their former colonies, but on August 17, 1945, Indonesia was declared independent by its first President, Sukarno. After four years of fighting and strong criticism from the international community, the Dutch government finally ceded and, in 1949, Indonesia was recognized as an independent country.
Life in Bali is very communal with the organization of villages, farming and even the creative arts being decided by the community. The local government is responsible for schools, clinics, hospitals and roads, but all other aspects of life are placed in the hands of two traditional committees, whose roots in Balinese culture stretch back centuries. The first, Subak, concerns the production of rice and organizes the complex irrigation system. Everyone who owns a sawah, or padi field, must join their local Subak, which then ensures that every member gets his fair distribution of irrigation water. The other community organization is the Banjar, which arranges all village festivals, marriage ceremonies and cremations. Most villages have at least one Banjar and all males have to join one when they marry. Banjars, on average, have a membership of between 50 to 100 families and each Banjar has its own meeting place called the Bale Banjar. As well as being used for regular meetings, the Bale (pavilion) is where the local gamelan orchestras and drama groups practice.
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