BALI COMES TO LOMBOK
An fascinating story of intrigue originally led to the arrival of the Balinese in Lombok. The Balinese had exercised a significant influence on the neighbouring island well before Islam had become established in Indonesia, but they could only completely concquer the western sector when the door was willingly opened to them in the 18th century.

The prime minister of an indigenous Sasak kingdom had been betrayed and publicly humiliated by the king, who had packed him off on a business trip and then stepped in to charm his wife while he was away. The prime minister was only too eager to aid the determined newcomers in revenge, happily also receiving lavish gifts in return for his compliance. Unfortunately for him, his own line of descent was eventually also destroyed at the hands of the Balinese.

Right through the 1700s and into the 1800s, the Balinese fought to gain control over the whole island with little effect. The rice growing techniques which rely on elaborate systems of irrigation were introduced to the east by the Balinese, and the Sasak adapted their indigenous forms of ancestor worship to fit in with the new Hindu faith, but otherwise the cultural influence was mimimal. Complete control over the whole island was only confirmed with the successful installment of the first Balinese raja of Lombok in 1838. A serfdom was soon set up, and his kingdom flourished, the towns of Mataram and Cakra being developed as palatial showpieces for the new order.

Later Dutch control could not erase the indelible imprint left by the Balinese at that time, and through to this day it is possible to visit some of the elaborate Balinese temples which have been left as living monuments to the period. Mostly centred around the towns of Mataram, Ampanan and Caktanegara, these temples are still centres of religious activity, housing the regular rituals and hosting major ceremonies.

The great divide
The sheer proximity of Lombok to Bali has, undoubtedly, ensured the natural progression of making comparisons and contrasts from west to east, from the well established and well resourced tourist centre of Indonesia to the the similarly exotic holiday-sized island with as yet not fully developed tourist potential. But in order to truly appreciate Lombok for who she is, it is important to step back from stating the obvious and approach her from a new perspective, perhaps taking a new orientation from the east.

The current tendency to market Lombok as "the Bali of former times" is an interesting trend. A recent travel company advertisement invites us to, "Think of Bali 50 years ago", enticing us with the promise that we will, "have it all in Lombok." Only this morning I heard someone refer to Lombok as "the Bali of yesterday". True, what was special about Bali then is still special about Lombok now, but Lombok is also much more than that.

An older variation of the same theme, an official slogan for the tourist department in Lombok, used to claim, "You can see Bali in Lombok, but you can’t see Lombok in Bali." But although you can definitely see the strong Balinese influences, Lombok also has a completely different side to her.

For starters, Lombok is officially the first of the Nusa Tengarra, or "Southeastern Islands". The channel between Bali and Lombok is one of the deepest in the world, and in a metaphorical sense this channel represents the great geographical and social divide between the two islands. Although the parts of the western side of Lombok have similar geographical features to Bali, the eastern and southern sides are completely different. It is quite likely that Lombok was never joined by dry land to Bali and the rest of the Sunda shelf north to Sumatra.

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