Puputan Badung Monument

The Puputan Badung Monument stands at the centre of Puputan Badung Square (Lapangan Puputan), between Jl. Veteran and Jl. Surapati in the Dangin Puri district of Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. It commemorates the puputan, a Balinese ritual of fighting to the death, that took place on 20 September 1906. In that year a Dutch military expedition advanced on Denpasar, then the seat of the kingdom of Badung. The king, the royal family, courtiers and their followers, dressed in white and carrying ceremonial krisses and spears, walked out of the palace toward the Dutch troops. Many were shot and others died by their own hands. Estimates of the dead vary and are generally put at about a thousand or more, and the fall of Badung was followed shortly by that of neighbouring Tabanan and, in 1908, Klungkung, completing Dutch control of south Bali. The monument itself is a large bronze group, set on a raised plinth, showing a Balinese man, woman and child in a defiant posture, with raised weapons and an upright stance that evokes the courage and sacrifice of the royal court. The sculpture is surrounded by a landscaped open square used by locals for walking, sports and ceremonies, and is a visible landmark at the junction of the city's main roads. There is no ticketed interior or curated exhibition at the site; the memorial itself is the historical document, and nearby institutions such as the Bali Museum and Pura Jagatnatha provide wider context. The monument has been maintained as a public park feature and remains a focus for commemorations on the anniversary and for national holidays. Visitors should treat it as a memorial, avoid climbing on the plinth, and dress and behave respectfully. Entry to the square is free and it is open throughout the day and into the evening.