The atmosphere of the Pura Ulun Danu Batur Temple is determined by the eternal fog. The mystical
shrine built on the edge of the crater of the volcano is a photographers dream. Originally, the building
stood lower on the side of the crater until the volcano ended it in 1926. We learn the following from a
guide book. The specialty of Ulun Danu is that its high priestess is an adolescent virgin girl who chooses
24 boys from the village to be priests. The highest position among priests is the Yero – who is also
chosen by the female high priestess from among the young priests. Yero’s task is to present offerings to
the high priestess and later that night, to see to her needs in bed.
Yero – decides on the controversial issues of the village. He brings his judgment in the spirit of Adat.
The female chief priestess is allowed to stay in the church until she loses her virginity or until the first
menstruation. Then a new female chief priestess has to be chosen. It’s a great honor to reach the
shrine. Later on, when the girl gets married, she can use her former position as a dowry. The history of
the island is lost in the mists of time but scientists consider Java and the neighboring islands to be the
cradle of humanity. It’s for sure that when in the 6th century, Indian people started to immigrate to the
islands of Indonesia, they encountered developed cultures. During this time, the activity of Buddhist
monks and Hindu Brahmans who spread these two religions on the island may have taken place. Local
tribes mix them with their ancestral cult during this time and their belief has been retained in this form
up till now. The system of castes which the Indonesian islands is still used only in Bali was also formed
due to Indian influence.
Bali’s companionship with Java became stronger in the 10th century when the Balinese duke Urajana
married Duchess Mahendradata from Java. Their descendants created the great empire of Java.
Ambitious nobles fought to separate from Java. By 1528, the intention of Bali to become independent
had reached the point that the lord entered into an alliance with the Portuguese who gained power in
Southeast Asia at that time. They were the first to break the news in Europe about the island. The
natives were friendly to the Dutch at first. The Dutch East Indian Company put an end to this good
relationship.
The eagerness of the Dutch and their steps taken in the interest of commerce earned the hatred of the
local people. The colonists occupied the north part of the island. This partial occupation lasted for
centuries until under the pretext of the accident of a Chinese commercial ship, the Dutch occupied the
island entirely. The load cast ashore was collected by the locals which the Dutch put down as theft and
started a punitive expedition.
During the Second World War, the inhabitants were glad about the Japanese conquerors and realized
only later that they were even crueler than the Dutch. At the end of the war, the Japanese pulled out of
the island and the inhabitants were able to defeat the Dutch who wanted to return in the Battle at
Margi so in this way Indonesia achieved its independence under President Sukarno’s control. The
independent state was acknowledged in 1946 by the world and in 1949, by the Netherlands.