Tuesday, 14 January 2014

Bali's Islands a Brief History






A friend of mine often raves about the islands off Bali, specifically Nusa Lembongan. He loves the island and if he visits Bali he spend most of his time there relaxing, surfing and generally having a good time. Recently another friend opened a resort on the island at it inspired me to view some of the pictures I had taken on my many visits to Ceningan. I was going through my pictures and I came across a handful of good snaps taken by myself and others. And so putting two and two together I thought I would piece together an all too brief and very much dumbed down history of the islands. When I had finished I realised I could use what I had done for the Bali Raw blog.

It is believed that the three islands once formed their own kingdom centred on Nusa Penida. It is also supposed that this regime was separate from the main rule of the Balinese at the time. However it is also speculated that the regime did have connections with the South of Bali around the Bukit area. This is suggested because there are a number of temples in the area that are positioned and unified with the main temple on Nusa Penida, Dalem Peed. Dalem Peed is also considered somewhat of a Mecca for some castes of the Balinese people.  And it is expected that the Balinese with this this status visit the temple at least once in their lifetimes.


Eventually the Island Kingdom was subjugated by the Balinese. It is thought that the king who ruled from the area around the Dalem Peed was murdered in the last quarter of the seventeenth century. Just how he was killed is unclear. But after his death the islands of Lembongan, Ceningan and Penida were taken over by the rulers of Bali. These rulers then transformed the islands into a penal colony and they often shipped major criminals and political activists to their shores.

 


The isolation of the islands then brought about shift in the traditions and culture of the inhabitants. And eventually they began to cultivate their own unique customs and ceremonies. It is also believed that during this period a powerful black magic was developed and practised by the islanders. Word of this powerful magic soon reached the main island. And overtime the people inhabiting the three islands came to be viewed with a mixture of trepidation and religious reverence. Due to this fear the rulers of Bali soon stopped shipping there prisoners and they stopped sending boats to the islands. Then eventually the islanders were left alone by the rulers of Bali and they were allowed to govern by themselves.


The people of Bali were not the only ones who regarded the Island people with uneasiness and fear. Ancient navigation charts of the time are said to show the three islands marked with a skull and crossbones symbol. This was apparently done to warn sailors that under no circumstances should they harbour their ships close to the shores of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan.



The information supplied above was taken from the internet and I have no way to verify its authenticity. All in all it is a bit of fun and an excuse to show off some pictures. But thankfully true or not all of this has changed. And a trip to Bali would not be complete without at least a visit to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. For the more adventurous it is also becoming possible to visit Nusa Penida.

To view more pictures of Ceningan Island or to learn more about my friends resort please feel free to visit these two sites.


https://www.facebook.com/baliraw?hc_location=timeline


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