PUPUTAN : Balinese Ritual Mass Suicide

Puputan is a Balinese term that refers to a mass ritual suicide in preference to facing the humiliation of surrender occured in 1906 and 1908 when the Balinese were being subjugated by the Dutch

September 14, 1906, to avoid being captured and enslaved by Dutch invaders, the Balinese people commited a mass ritual suicide "Puputan". To perform Puputan, the Raja dressed in their traditional white cremation garments and commanded that all valuables be burned. Then everyone, from the youngeset child to the wives and priests, marched ceremoniously toward the aggressors.

When the procession was face to face with the Dutch force, the head priest thrust a dagger deep into Raja's heart, signaling the commencement of Puputan. At that point the entire group simultaneously began to kill one another, while the women mockingly flung money and jewelry onto the stupefied troops.

The Fall of Klungkung

Two years later, in a similar manner, an incident in nearby Gelgel triggered a punitive colonial expedition to Klungkung. The local Balinese elite chose expedition to Klungkung. Dewa Agung Jambe II, The members of his dynasty and their retainers sallied forth from the place and engaged in a puputan. The fight, which took place on 18 April 1908, proceeded until the death of the last of the combatant, which included women and children.

Klungkung today