- ONE of the greatest heroes from Bali is I Gusti Ngurah Rai. He chaired his troops named Ciung Wanara in Bali against the Dutch occupation after the Independence of Indonesia
- This great hero will be known by future generation because the first bypass road in Bali and the first international airport in Bali was named after his name
TOURISTS visiting Bali by airplane will get off at Ngurah Rai Airport. After that they will pass through Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai. Whether staying in Jimbaran, Nusa Dua, Sanur or Ubud areas, they will surely see the Ngurah Rai (I Gusti Ngurah Rai) staue in the roundabout next to the airport.
Who is Ngurah Rai? He is a national hero from Bali. He was born in Carangsari Village, Petang, Northern Badung, on January 30, 1917. His last military education was the Corps Opleiding Voor Reserve Officieren (CORO) in Magelang and Artillery in Malang.
Armed with the military knowledge and high responsibility and dedication to the state, in 1945 after Indonesia’s independence, he formed the Lesser Sunda People’s Security Army (TKR) together with his colleagues. On the mandate of the TKR headquarters in Yogyakarta, he was appointed the commander.
Even with an unequal strength, with the troops only consisting of 96 personnel, while the Dutch troops surpassing 300 personnel with modern weapons at that time, I Gusti Ngurah Rai continued to fight against Dutch colonialism without compromise.
A letter sent by the Dutch army to hold negotiations in Plaga Village was emphatically rejected. He said the negotiations were only carried out by the leadership at the center (Java Island). Together with his troops he would continue to fight to the death.
This is evidenced by the most heroic warfare in Bali. Ngurah Rai continued to fight until he died in the battlefield in Marga Village on November 20, 1946, which was later on named as the Puputan Margarana. It literally means “all-out fighting in Marga Village.” All the soldiers, including Ngurah Rai, died in the terrible war, while more than 350 troops on the Dutch side also died there.
To commemorate and immortalize his services to this country, his name was then used to name the first bypass road in Bali, Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai spreading from Tohpati in East Denpasar to Nusa Dua, South Badung, and the first international airport in Bali (Ngurah Rai International Airport) located at Tuban, Badung.
Besides, his figure is also immortalized on the banknote of IDR 50,000 with emission year 2005. The current generation will always know and exemplify his services as shown in defending this beloved country through the commemoration of Puputan Margarana Day celebrated on November 20.
