Jl. Tuan Langa in Kuta, named after Danish entrepreneur

Wahyuni Kamah, Contributor, Kuta

Amid all the places of interest shown on the map of Bali, you will find a single reference to a site known as the Mads Johansen Lange tomb. Lange, a Dane, was a very influential figure in the history of both Kuta and Bali.

Unfortunately, the map mistakenly marks the tomb on Jl. Tanjung Mekar in the Kuta area. In fact, it is located on Jl. Tuan Langa, a road named after Lange, which has no marker at all. Despite its status as a place of interest, there are no clear directions for reaching the tomb.

One must pass through a slum area to get there, which is near a Chinese graveyard and a terminal for garbage trucks.

"Some tourists visit the tomb," a man said when asked if the tomb was frequently visited.

Lange's large gravestone is surrounded by a short iron fence and shrubs.

According to Balinese history, Lange became the first Dane to visit Kuta when he arrived as a sailor in 1839, and then went on to successfully build his own "kingdom". At the time, Kuta was a no man's land where outcasts could find refuge and Lange, at the age of 33, built a trading post.

It was a huge complex comprised of a storehouse, market, comfortable residences and an open dining pavilion with a billiards table where Lange lavishly entertained his guests.

His arrival in Kuta was well timed as the Balinese liked neither the Dutch nor the English. He was welcomed by local kings and princes.

Lange was a merchant, mediator, adventurer and sailor. He was a broker in the slave trade. He acted as a bridge between East and West, and competently mediated in the conflict between the Dutch colonial powers and the Balinese court. His presence influenced Bali's history.

He was able to settle a dispute between the Dutch authorities and Raja (king) Gusti Ngurah Gde Kesiman of Badung. In return, King Kesiman appointed him as a prebekel (district official) for Kuta and gave him the authority to levy taxes on sailing vessels, which, according to records, were as high as those imposed in the harbors of Europe.

Lange was a clever merchant. Besides brokering the sale of tobacco, coffee and cash crops, he monopolized the sale of Chinese kepeng (coins), which became the dominant monetary unit in Bali. He bought the coins from China for a low price and then sold them in Bali at a 100 percent profit or bartered them for rice.

He also brought silk and opium from China and textiles and weapons from India. His two slaughterhouses supplied dried beef to the Dutch garrisons in Java. Due to his good relations with the ruling kings in Bali, he was able to expand his business unchallenged by competitors.

No pictorial record of Lange remains, according to the Vice Consul at the Danish Consulate in Bali, Wayan Merti, but it is said that Lange was flamboyant.

Born in Ruboking on Langeland Island on Sept. 18, 1806, Lange and his two younger brothers left Denmark in 1833 for Hong Kong. Later they joined Captain Burd and established a company, Burd & Co.

First they sailed to Ampenan, Lombok, but the market there was already dominated by an Englishman. They then moved to Kuta where Lange built his business.

Lange lived with two wives, concubines, children, servants and slaves in his big house in Kuta. He lived like a king.

His approach to the locals was different.

The house was always crowded with people and animals such as cows, chickens and horses for trading. He could tame wild horses. He also played the violin, alongside his brothers who played the piano and cello respectively during performances of European classical music.

However, his glory only lasted 10 years. In 1850 the situation changed. The Dutch Navy blockaded Bali and its military expedition disrupted his trade. A plague of rats, which disrupted the rice harvest, an epidemic of smallpox and a water shortage made the situation even worse.

New commercial harbors in Singaraja in the north and Ampenan in Lombok became rivals.

His business turned bad.

Becoming frustrated, Lange wanted to return home to his old friends and relatives. But he died mysteriously at his house in 1856. Historians believe he was poisoned.

The business passed to his nephew, Peter Christian, who failed to make profits. He sold the business and returned to Denmark.

Lange was buried in Kuta. For 137 years his graveyard lay abandoned. The construction of his tomb was funded by his family in Denmark.

The remnants of his glory have all vanished. Nothing is left, only an abandoned road named in his honor.