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The Balinese trace their origins to India and the Indianised courts of Java. Their myth unfolds that the firs person ever to set foot on Bali was Rsi Markandeya , a Hindu saint from East Java. It is said that he and his group of followers original Balinese or Bali Mula settled around Besakih, on the slopes of Mount Agung, where they built Bali’s Mother Temple. At the end of the 10th century, Javanese influence increased enormously. Balinese King Udayana married a Javanese princess. Their son, king Airlanngga, reigned over Bali from East Java (1019-1049) and it’s during this time that the threetiered temple system of Bali by the legendary priest Empu Kuturan started. The cliff temple of Gunung Kawi, in Gianyar, was built. After Airlangga’s death, Bali enjoyed a period of autonomy. This proved to be short lived, when the East Javanese King Kertanegara conquered the island in 1284. King Kertanegara was murdered and Bali took the opportunity to liberate itself once again. In 1343, the island was brought back under Javanese control by its defeat at the hands of “Gajah Mada” a general in the last of the great Hindu-Javanese empires, the ‘Majapahit´. With the spread of Islam throughout Sumatra and Java during the 16th century, the Majapahit began to collapse and a large exodus of aristocracy, priests, artists, and artisans to Bali ensued. The Golden Age of Bali’s cultural history. The principality of Gelgel, near Klungkung, became a major centre for art, and Bali became main power of the region, taking control of neighbouring Lombok, Sumbawa and parts of East Java. Bali was surrounded by a series of guardian temples such as “Tanah Lot” and “Uluwatu”.
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