About The Seminyak Beach Resort | Bali Villas Seminyak

AVAILABILITY	PRICES RATE	CONDITIONS
NISSAN SERENA or TOYOTA INNOVA - ONE WAY	USD 38.00 net/car/way	(maximum 3 adults + luggage)
NISSAN SERENA or TOYOTA INNOVA - RETURN	USD 70.00 net/car/way	(maximum 3 adults + luggage)
TOYOTA ALPHARD - ONE WAY	USD 70.00 net/car/way	(maximum 3 adults + luggage)
TOYOTA ALPHARD - RETURN	USD 135.00 net/car/way	(maximum 4 adults + luggage)

History & Culture

Culture & Religion

The Balinese Hindu culture and religious practice entails music, theatre and elaborate offerings, and the temple or Pura is the focus of the spiritual activity of every community on the island. There are more temples than houses in Bali, most villages have at least three temples, and every home has a shrine or house temple. The Balinese people believe that their beautiful island is a gift from the gods and for this they give thanks, every day, by leaving millions of offerings in every shrine, doorstep, nook and cranny. Any visitor who spends more than a few days on the island will be certain to see some kind of temple festival, colourful procession, or ceremony. There are also numerous island-wide religious festivals to mark sacred days according to the Balinese calendar, together with family rituals such as birth celebrations, tooth filing ceremonies, weddings and cremations.

As the sole Hindu island in a dominant Muslim nation, Bali has its own traditions and regulations – a complex woven net of social organisation that is dictated by ancient Balinese religious rules. Religion is, in fact, still the central spine of the Balinese way of life and philosophy. Even the young generation, when it comes to tradition and spiritual duty, get out of their bleached jeans or business suits to put on a sarong and to go to the temple, or attend one of the many village events. This is in addition to participating in numerous social duties such as keeping the 'bale banjar' (communal meeting place) clean and functional, or attending the meetings to make important decisions relating to the village. The strong link between the Balinese and their religion ensures that Bali retains a unique identity among Southeast Asia's island destinations. Balinese temples, dances, and ceremonies define the visitor's experience as much as Bali's beaches, surf and scenery.

Art is omnipresent in Bali, playing an intense role in daily life. You will not fail to notice intricately carved doorways, stone statues and wood sculptures, the traditional architecture of temples and houses, magnificent paintings, masks, textiles and ornate jewellery, together with the beautifully crafted offerings to the gods. Whether it is dance, music, drama, paintings or carvings, art in every form is the masterpiece of the highly-valued Balinese culture.

History

Bali's history is as colourful as its culture and landscape. Although many of its religious and cultural traditions can be traced back as early as the first century AD, the island really began to develop its rich heritage during the Majapahit Empire (1293 to 1520 AD), a golden era that brought the Hindu-Javanese traditions of architecture, theatre, literature, dance, painting, music and sculpture. This legacy continues today as the foundation of Balinese arts. When the Majapahit Empire began to decline in the 15th century, many thousands of Hindu priests, artists, noblemen, soldiers, craftsmen and intellectuals fled from Java to Bali to escape their Muslim conquerors. In 1550, Bali was united under the legendary Batu Renggong, the ruler of Gelgel near Klungkung. His reign gave a fresh impetus to the already strongly Hindu culture, which continued to flourish with a great boom in temple building and the associated crafts of sculpture and woodcarving. By 1651, the Gelgel kingdom had fractured into nine separate smaller kingdoms. They all deferred to the main royal seat in Klungkung, but fought continual battles among themselves over the next century.

The early 16th century also brought the first European ships to Bali. The Dutch made claims to the island at this time but were greeted with such hostility by the Balinese kings that they decided to leave the trading to the Arabs and the Chinese. From 1710 onwards, however, the Dutch began to take control, and by the end of the 1840s the northern and eastern parts of Bali were under Dutch rule. It took three campaigns and more than 60 years to shatter the Balinese defenses and morale – campaigns in which the Dutch did not achieve either victory or glory. The most significant events were the suicidal 'Puputan' (fights to the death) in 1906 and 1908, where the royal households presented themselves to the invading Dutch officers and rapidly committed mass suicide. These shocking events had traumatic effects on the Dutch, and from then onwards they ruled in Bali more leniently. A whole new generation of administrators developed, introducing clinics and schools, abolishing slavery and suttee, building roads, bridges and dams, and imposing law and order.

The 1920s brought the beginnings of organised tourism, with bohemians, artists, writers and musicians being drawn by Bali's exotic beauty and culture. A number of foreign artists, including Walter Spies, decided to settle on the island and spur the growth of Balinese art. Pre-war tourists came mainly by sea, landing in Singaraja on the north coast or Padang Bai in the south. By 1930 up to 100 visitors per month were arriving; it was during this decade that the ferry service between Banyuwangi and Gilimanuk was started up by two enterprising Germans, and a road was built connecting Gilimanuk to Denpasar. Air travel became possible in 1938, but it was very risky. The first survey flight made by the Royal Netherlands Indies Airways (K.N.I.L.M.) crashed into Mount Batukaru, and the first airport, built on the Bukit Peninsula, was too dangerous for landing except in the calmest weather. In 1938 a new airport was built at Tuban on the site of the present airport, and Bali became an overnight stop on the weekly K.N.I.L.M. flights to Australia and Makassar.

However, the black cloud of WWII was already looming upon the horizon. In February 1942, a small force of Japanese soldiers landed at Sanur, and took over from the demoralised Dutch garrison. The victorious Japanese ruled Bali for three years, very much in accordance with the already established Dutch system. They did not actively intervene in Balinese affairs, but the effects of their enforced requisition of rice and foodstuffs were far-reaching and by the end of the war, the Balinese were suffering severe hardship, facing both famine and epidemic. On August 17, 1945, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declared Indonesia to be an independent nation and the remaining Japanese in Bali withdrew. Despite the declaration of independence, the Dutch wanted their colony back; they tried to reassert control but not without a fight against 97 Indonesian Nationalist fighters led by Gusti Ngurah Rai at Marga village, Tabanan, which led to the last puputan in Balinese history. The Dutch finally recognised Indonesia's independence in 1949.

Transition from colonialism to independence was not easy, and by 1956 the whole of Indonesia, led by the charismatic President Sukarno, was undergoing a tumultuous period. Economic conditions had seriously deteriorated and the Communist party was growing in power. When the revered volcano, Mt Agung, erupted in 1963, it added further anguish to the island, killing over 2000 people and displacing 100,000. Roads became impassable, communities were cut off for weeks, and massive areas of arable land and crops were ruined, causing food shortages that lasted for months afterwards. Ironically the debris from the erupted volcano was later used to build hotels and guesthouses during the tourism boom. In late 1965, when the island was in the throes of recovery, the Communist Party staged an abortive coup d'etat in Jakarta, and reprisals began all over Indonesia as the Nationalists set out to extinguish all traces of communism. Bali was the scene of incredible violence, and thousands of people were killed.

When Suharto became president in 1967, Indonesia became open to foreign affairs again. Fortunately, rather than destroy the island's unique history and culture, the Suharto regime saw the merits in opening up the island for tourism. In the 1990s, Bali became one of the most prosperous places in the country, but by the end of the decade corruption had become widespread, the economy faltered and ethnic conflicts erupted. Despite this, with its international tourism-oriented outlook, Bali remained an island of stability. This period of calm ended abruptly and tragically on 12 October 2002, when bombs planted by Militant Islamists exploded in Kuta killing over 200 people. A further bombing took place in 2005, killing 20 people. Both incidents seriously affected tourism, yet Bali's resilient culture – which has so far survived colonialism as well as natural and political disaster – continues to flourish with tourist numbers rising annually. In 2016, the island welcomed record figures of nearly 5 million foreign visitors.