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Although there are no artifacts or records dating back
to the Stone age, it is believed that the first settlers
on Bali migrated from Cina around 2500 B.C. By the Bronze
era, around 300 B.C. quite an evolved culture existed
on Bali. The complex system of irrigation and rice production,
still in use today, was established around this time.
History is vague for the first few centuries. A number
of Hindu artifacts have been found dating back to the
1st century, yet it appears that the main religion,
around 500 A.D. was predominantly Buddhist in influence.
A Chinese scholar, Yi-Tsing, in 670 A.D. reported, on
a trip to India 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
price, 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
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 it self 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, become a
major center for the arts, and Bali become the major
power o the region, taking control of neighboring Lombok
and parts of east Java.
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