Ubud’s past can be traced back to the 8th century, when holy people from India brought Hinduism to the area and wrote about it on palm leaves. His name is Markandeya. Rsi Markandeya first went to the island of Java before going to the island of Bali. Rsi Markandeya learned that there were 5 kinds of magic metal at the base of Mount Agung Besakih in Bali while he was in Java. Right now, the biggest temple in Bali is located at the base of Mount Agung Besakih. It is called Pura Besakih.
When Rsi Markandeya was on the island of Bali, he felt a lot of energy in the area around Campuhan Ubud, which is now home to the Gunung Lebah Temple. Also, Rsi Markandeya built a number of churches in other parts of Bali while he was there. The terrace system and drainage methods for farming were also brought to Bali by Rsi Markandeya. People on the island of Bali are still using this method to farm today. So, if you go on a trip to Bali, you will definitely see rice fields that are stepped up. In Jatiluwih Bali and Ubud, the Tegalalang rice fields are where you can find the most elevated rice fields.
Rsi Markandeya taught about both the Banjar system and the rice field irrigation system. The Banjar system is the local community organization system, and it is in charge of the religion and traditional activities of the community. Anyone on the island of Bali can still use the Banjar method right now.
In the eighth century, Rsi Markandeya said that the Campuhan Ubud area had a holy and great energy. The Balinese people still respect this area for its spiritual power in the present day. The name Ubud comes from the Balinese word ubad, which means health. Because there are a lot of plants used for traditional medicine in the Campuhan Ubud area.
When the Majapahit country fell apart in the 1400s, a lot of well-off Javanese people left for the island of Bali. This important person from the island of Java started the Gelgel kingdom in the district of Klungkung, which is in the southeast of the island of Bali. Nobles from Java who moved to the island of Bali were safe with the Gelgel Kingdom. The rank system came to Bali with wealthy people from Java.
In the 1600s, many new countries were set up on the island of Bali. Ubud was home to one of them. In the 1600s, many fancy homes were built in Ubud and were named Puri. At this time, there were many fights in Bali between countries that wanted to gain power and control over more land in the area.
In order to gain power in the Gianyar region, a prince from the Gelgel Klungkung kingdom was sent to the Sukawati village area to build a beautiful royal house. While the royal house in Sukawati was being built, many Balinese artists from different parts of the country were sent there to help. Once the castle in Sukawati was finished being built, a lot of artists decided to live there. So, the Sukawati area has become a hub for the arts, whether it’s music, dance, painting, or sculpture. The Sukawati art market is especially well-known.
After building a palace in Sukawati went well, guards from that palace were sent to Ubud, which often had problems, at the end of the 17th century to keep it safe. In Ubud at the end of the 1600s, there was a fight between two cousins, one who lived in the Padang Tegal area and the other who lived in the Taman Ubud area, which is north of the Padang Tegal area. Because of the fight between these cousins, King Sukawati sent his two brothers to protect the Ubud area.
As a brother of King Sukawati, Tjokorde Ngurah Tabanan was sent to the Peliatan Ubud area, and Tjokorde Tangkeban was sent to the Sambahan Ubud area. Following this, King Sukawati’s two brothers built castles in their chosen destinations to protect the Ubud area. After Tjokorde Ngurah Tabanan built a state in Peliatan Ubud, Tjokorde Ngurah Tabanan moved people into the Ubud area with the help of King Mengwi. The economy in Ubud started to grow as the number of people living there grew.
The Dutch first came to the island of Bali in the 1800s. A lot of countries, like the Mengwi kingdom, did not like having the Dutch in their area. Because the Dutch were so clever, they were able to get an old enemy of the Mengwi kingdom to work together to attack the Mengwi kingdom. As a result of being attacked by many enemies, the Mengwi kingdom was devastated and their land was split up by the fighting ally kingdom.
In the early 1800s, the Dutch government attacked the kingdoms of Badung, Buleleng, and Klungkung as a way to get involved in Bali’s politics. There was a big war. In Bali, this war is called Puputan. Before the 21st century, the Ubud area was ruled by Tjokorde Gede Raka Sukawati. It was then made a branch area of Sukawati. Ubud became a sub-district of the Gianyar district in 1981. It includes the towns of Tegallalang, Peliatan, Mas, and Kedewatan.
