Bali is the name of one of the provinces in Indonesia and is also the name of the largest island that is part of the province. Besides consisting of the island of Bali, the province of Bali also consists of smaller islands around it, namely Nusa Penida Island, Nusa Lembongan Island, Nusa Ceningan Island, Menjangan Island and Serangan Island.

Bali is located between the island of Java and the island of Lombok. The provincial capital is Denpasar, which is located in the southern part of the island. The majority of the Balinese population is Hindu. In the world, Bali is famous as a tourism destination with the uniqueness of various artistic and cultural products, especially for Japanese and Australian tourists. Bali is also known as the Island of the Gods and the Island of a Thousand Temples.

Bali was inhabited by Austronesian people around 2000 BC who migrated and came from Taiwan via Maritime Southeast Asia. The culture and language of the Balinese are closely related to those of the Indonesian archipelago, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Oceania. Stone tools dating from that time have been found near the village of Cekik in the west of the island of Bali.

In ancient Bali, there were nine Hindu sects namely Pasupata, Bhairawa, Shiva Shidanta, Vaishnava, Bodha, Brahma, Rishi, Sora and Ganapatya. Each sect honors a certain deity as its personal Godhead. Balinese culture was heavily influenced by Indian, Chinese, and especially Hindu culture, starting around the 1st century AD.
The name Bali Dwipa (“the island of Bali”) has been found from various inscriptions, including the pillar of the Blanjong inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 914 AD which mentions “Walidwipa”.

At that time a complex Subak irrigation system had been developed to grow rice. Several religious and cultural traditions still exist today and can be traced back to that time. The Hindu kingdom of Majapahit (1293-1520 AD) in East Java established a colony on Bali in 1343. As the heyday had declined, there was a massive exodus of intellectuals, artists, priests, and musicians from Java to Bali in the 15th century.