The Margarana Monument in Marga is 15-km northeast of Tabanan. This memorial park honors a regiment of guerrilla fighters killed here by a Dutch ground attack and aerial bombardment shortly after WW II. The Dutch far outnumbered the Balinese, many of whom were armed only with sharpened bamboo poles.

The engagement was a shattering defeat for the Balinese resistance movement, killing many of its original leaders. So many high caste cadre lost their lives that the battle marked the beginning of much heavier participation of lower-caste guerrillas. The aristocratic leader of this futile stand was 29-year-old Lt. Col. I Gusti Ngurah Rai. Denpasar's airport is named after him.

The Battle of Marga was joined after the Indonesians refused a Dutch demand for surrender. After a series of clashes in Tabanan, Rai's platoon set out on a long march to Gunung Agung, seeking to draw attention away from a landing on Jembrana of Republican troops from Java. The ploy was discovered by the Dutch, who attacked and annihilated the Balinese force at Marga on 20 November 1946 with the aid of a B-25 bomber. In all, 96 Balinese guerrillas were killed.

The Margarana ('Battle of Marga') monument was built in 1954. In the middle is a 17-meter-tall, eight-roofed monument shaped like a Javanese 'candi', designed to symbolize the unity of the fallen revolutionaries in their fight for freedom. A strange, eerie feeling permeates this place.

The memorial stones of 1,372 men and women, who died on Bali fighting Dutch forces lie in a cemetery here, including 11 Japanese soldiers who defected to the Indonesian side. Christian tombstones bear the cross, Muslims the half moon, Balinese the swastika.

The monument is inscribed with the text of a famous letter Rai wrote to a Dutch officer, pledging to give his life for the revolution.

Marga is not a regular tourist stop, there will probably be few people here, but it is worth a visit. Every 20 November, a Hero's Day Ceremony is held here with a reenactment of the 'Long March.' Attended by 'pemuda', scouts and soldiers, this eight-hour march to Denpasar lasts from evening to the early morning.

Visit the small museum on the grounds (open 0800-1200) exhibiting uniforms, weapons, documents, photos, battle plans and remnants of the battle.