Festival commemorates Puputan Badung battle

Mon, 09/22/2008 12:43 PM | Bali

Residents of Badung and Denpasar commemorated the 102nd anniversary of Puputan Badung, a bloody battle between Balinese warriors and the Dutch military expedition, in a three-day cultural festival that ended Saturday.

Held by the Denpasar administration at Puputan Badung Square, the Maha Bandana Prasada festival featured a street parade, a colossal dramatized dance and a reenactment of the historic battle at its four original sites in the city's downtown area.

"The festival aims to preserve the spirit of the battle and provide a space for artists to present their aesthetic interpretations of the historic event," Denpasar's Deputy Mayor IB Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra said Saturday.

More than 5,000 people flocked to the square, where a dance portraying the historic battle was staged by the Sunari and Werdhi Suar dance troupes.

Similar performances also took place along Jl. Udayana and Surapati, Gajah Mada, and Veteran streets, including a re-enactment of the movements of Balinese troops and the advance of the heavily-armed Dutch military exhibition.

In 1906, following months of failed negotiations and heated debates, the king of Denpasar and his warriors and the Dutch military clashed in a brief but bloody battle in which thousands of Balinese were killed.

Denpasar's King Ida Cokorda Ngurah Made Denpasar ordered his soldiers to puputan (fight to the death) to ensure the dignity of his kingdom.

The popular young king, who was famed for his romantic poems and humbleness, perished in the battle along with his close followers. -- JP/Andra Wisnu

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