HISTORY OF BALI Bali is a province of the Republic of Indonesia commonly referred to as The Island of Thousands Temples or The Island of Gods. The province of Bali includes some smaller islands: Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan, Serangan and Menjangan. Denpasar is the capital of Bali which is located at the south of the island and originally means the market place. Early history shows that, circa 2000 BC, Bali was originally inhabited by Austronesian peoples who migrated from Taiwan. Thus, the Balinese are culturally and linguistically related to peoples of the Indonesian Archipelago, Malaysia, the Philippines and Oceania. Nine Hindu sects coexisted in ancient Bali (Pasupata, Bhairawa, Siwa Shidanta, Waisnawa, Bodha, Brahma, Resi, Sora, and Ganapatya) and each of them was represented with its own deity as a Godhead. It was around the 1st century AD when the Balinese culture started to strongly form, influenced mainly by the Indian, the Hindu and the Chinese culture. Early mentions of the name Bali Dwipa ("Bali island") have been discovered in inscriptions dating back as far as 914 AD. This includes the Blanjong pillar inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa which mentions "Walidwipa". Around the same time, Subak, the complex irrigation system to grow rice was developed. There are still a few cultural and religious traditions from this period that are still in existence today. In 1343, the Hindu Majapahit Empire on Eastern Java, (dating from 1293 to 1520 AD), founded a colony in Bali. During the 15th century the empire declined and an exodus of intellectuals, priests, artists and musicians was made from Java to Bali. For further information, please contact: Beby Benazir Marketing Communications Manager Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali M +62 896 1542 0044 E [email protected] Follow us: 1 .