Puputan is a
BalineseThe Balinese population of 3.0 million live mostly on the island of Bali, making up 89% of the island's population. There are also significant populations on the island of Lombok, and in the eastern-most regions of Java The Balinese population of 3.0 million (1.5% of Indonesia's population) live...
term that refers to a mass ritual suicide in preference to facing the humiliation of surrender. Notable puputans occurred in 1906 and 1908 when the Balinese were being subjugated by the
DutchThe Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
.
1906 Badung puputan
On September 14, 1906, an overwhelming Dutch force landed at Sanur beach; there was no significant resistance and the force marched to
DenpasarDenpasar is the capital city of the province of Bali, Indonesia. It has a rapidly expanding population of 788,445 in 2010, up from 533,252 in the previous decade. It is located at .-History:...
,
BaliBali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, as if in a
dressA dress is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment.Dress may also refer to:*Clothing in general*Costume, fancy dress...
paradeA parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
. They passed through a seemingly deserted town and approached the royal palace, noting smoke rising from the
puriPuri may refer to:*Purà people, tribe which lived along the northern coast of South America and in Brazil*Puri , unleavened Indian breadPlaces:*Puri, city in Orissa, India*Puri district, district of Orissa, India...
and, most disquietingly, they heard a wild beating of drums coming from within the palace walls.
Upon reaching the palace, a silent procession emerged, led by the
RajaRaja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
, borne by four bearers on a palanquin. The Raja was dressed in traditional white cremation garments, wore magnificent jewelry, and was armed with a ceremonial
krisThe kris or keris is an asymmetrical dagger or sword nowadays most strongly associated with the culture of Indonesia, but also indigenous to Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Brunei. It is known as kalis in the southern Philippines. The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade , but many have...
. The other people in the procession consisted of the Raja's officials, guards, priests, wives, children and retainers, all of whom were similarly attired.
When the procession was a hundred paces from the Dutch force, they halted and the Raja stepped down from the palanquin and signaled a priest who plunged his dagger into the Raja's breast. The rest of the procession began killing themselves and others.
A "stray gunshot" and an "attack by lance and spear" prompted the Dutch to open fire with rifles and artillery. Women mockingly threw jewelry and gold coins at the troops. As more people emerged from the palace, the mounds of corpses rose higher and higher. Approximately 1,000 Balinese died.
The soldiers stripped the corpses of the valuables and sacked the ruins of the burned palace.
1908 Klungkung puputan
Another
puputan occurred on the 18th of April, 1908, at
Klungkung PalaceThe Klungkung Palace is a historical building complex situated in Semarapura, the capital of the Klungkung Regency on Bali, Indonesia. The palace was erected at the end of the 17th century, but largely destroyed during the Dutch colonial conquest in 1908...
.