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KLUNGKUNG
Bali's most powerful dynasty was based al Gelgel (just south of modern Klungkung) from around 1400 and reached its cultural peak in the late 1550's-Bali's Golden Age.
During the 1600s successors of the Gelgel line established separate kingdoms, and the court moved to Klungkung in 1710. The Klungkung court never regained a pre-eminent position on Bali, but it is still respected as the original Balinese royal house. In April 1908 Dutch forces surrounded the Klungkung palace, and the Dewa Agung and hundreds of his family and followers marched out to certain death by Dutch gunfire. It was the last Balinese kingdom to succumb. Klungkung is a major public transport junction and a busy market town. The bus and bemo terminal is a major gathering point, particularly at night when a busy market operates there. Though it's still commonly called Klungkung, the town has been officially renamed Semarapura, and this name appears on some signs. Kertha Gosa The Kertha Gosa (Hall of Justice) stands in the north-east comer of the Taman Gili, a marked contrast to the busy intersection and modern town. The pavilion is a superb example of Klungkung architecture, with the ceiling completely covered with paintings in the Klungkung style. The paintings, done on asbestos sheeting, were installed in the 1940s, replacing the cloth paintings which had deteriorated. Further repainting and restoration took place in the 1960s and 80s, but the style appears to have been fairly consistent. Virtually the only record of the earlier paintings was a photograph of the ceiling taken by Walter Spies in the 1930s. In Bali's humid climate there is rapid deterioration and already the current paintings are looking very second-hand. The Kertha Gosa was effectively the ,supreme court' of the Klungkung kingdom. The defendant, standing before the three priests who acted as judges (kerthas), could gaze up at the ceiling and see wrongdoers being tortured by demons and the innocent enjoying the pleasures of Balinese heaven. In the colonial period, the court was used to deal with questions of traditional law (adat), while colonial law was handled by Dutch courts. Museum Semarajaya Across the courtyard to the west of the Bale Kambang is a new museum with some archaeological pieces and interesting accounts of the 1908 puputan. It's nothing special.-LP |
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copyright © 2014 Joseph P. Giardina All Rights Reserved |
