The Historical Evolvement of Eight Administrative Regions

The province of Bali is divided eight Kabupaten, or administrative districts. Each has its elected Bupati, a district head who leads an assembly and branches of civil and military provincial offices. These districts correspond geographically to the eight major Balinese rajadoms remaining at the end of the 18^th Century.

Up until the decline of the Dewa Agung, who ruled as absolute monarch over the entire island of Bali from his seat in Gelgel, Bali comprised a single unit with the various princes of each region serving their “Divine” leader. By mid 17^th Century, as the powers of the presiding Dewa Agung and his imperial court began to subside with the loss by Di Made of one ill-advised battle after another in Blambangan, Sumbawa and Lombok, the allegiance of the other Balinese princes faded rapidly. The Gelgel Palace was subsequently proclaimed to be under a curse by his successor, Gusti Sidemen, and a new Palace built in Klungkung, but the new court never attained the same pomp and glory of the original seat of power.

Without the cohesive ruling authority of the Dewa Agung blood feuds, jealousy and intrigue soon led to military conflict, and there emerged about a dozen independent little radjadoms that struggled intermittently with each other for power over the various regions, a situation that the Dutch colonialists were soon to capitalize on. Eight of these surviving radjadoms still exist in a different form, the Regencies of Badung in the south, Gianyar, Bangli, Klungkung, and Karangasem in the east, Tabanan and Negara in the west, and Buleleng in the north.

The history of the last years of rule of these eight Balinese radjadoms is a much disputed and extremely complex scenario of power and politics, warring and conspiracy. The Dewa Agung and his recently removed radjadom in Klungkung survived, but never regained the powers of the former golden age. The kingdom of Gianyar evolved as a centre of traditional Balinese culture, and even became quite a strong military power. The Dewa Agung’s military and political powers first passed to the large northern states of Buleleng, the first focus of foreign commerce and international intervention, then to Karangasem, the large eastern state, and eventually to the Dutch.

Ruled by members of the same royal family, the two states of Buleleng and Karangasem, between which a filial love-hate relationship persisted, became the two powerful entities in Bali.

Buleleng’s ruler, Gusti Panji Sakti, managed by the and of the 17^th Century to maneuver an authoritative rule over Karangasem and Djembrana, whilst manipulating the local Javanese kingdom of Blambangan through military support. Buleleng and Mengwi were ruled together by him for most of the 18^th Century, until Karangasem rose to power. Meanwhile, Karangasem took the opportunity to make war upon Sumbawa and Makasar-dominated Lombok, which was becoming thoroughly Islam-ised. By mid-17^th Century the Raja of Karangasem had divided Lombok into four minor radjadoms, ruled by semi-loyal Balinese princes. He then proceeded to covert Jembrana. 

Amongst this complicated web of politics, power and aggression, the state of Gianyar suddenly emerged as a rival to Klungkung and a military threat to Buleleng, Karangasem, Mengwi and Buleleng. Then Buleleng rebelled against Karangasem in 1823, forcing Radja Gusti Gede Ngurah Lanang to flee to Lombok, from whence he still made on-going attempts to regains power in his home territory whilst dominating the four little squabbling kingdoms in Lombok.

The consequent turbulence within both Bali and Lombok made both ripe targets for the Dutch, who could sanctimoniously don the role of peacemakers in imposing western rule and order. The imposition of Dutch rule turned out to be a difficult and costly task. It was not until the shocking puputans of 1906 in Badung and 1908 in Klungkung that Dutch colonial power was finally established, and the price paid in both human life and the destruction of a Dynasty caused world wide protest. This inglorious victory was a bitter pill to swallow. It did, however, cause the Dutch to completely review their policies, and they embarked upon a unique preservation policy of “ethical” rule, which they implemented through the eight exisiting districts that have survived until today.