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The Kertha Gosa Pavilion is an example of Balinese architecture located on the island of Bali, in city Klungkung, Indonesia. The Kertha Gosa Pavilion at Klungkung Palace was built in the 17th century or early 18th century by Dewa Agung Jambe I.
The name Kertha Gosa derives from sanskrit, [1] where "Kerta" means "the result" or "prosperity" and "Gosita" means "a discussion or a place for discussion". [2]
The layout of the whole Klungkung Palace followed that of a sanga mandala [lower-alpha 1] , with nine main centers interconnected among courtyards and other spaces. As such, Kertha Gosa represents one of these nine centers. [3] Therefore this pavilion was built at the same time as the rest of the palace; and a carving at the main door (Pemedal agung) of the palace indicates year 1622 or around the year 1700 A.D, when Dewa Agung Jambe governed the kingdom of Klungkung. [4] Another date often cited is 1686, [1] [5] with the 1622 date attributed specifically to the main door (Pemedal agung). [5]
The first function of the pavilion, as shown through the paintings, was that of religious ceremonies for rituals of passage (manusa yadnya). But it is known to have been the place for the Supreme court of law in the kingdom, continuing as such under the Dutch occupation from 1908 to 1942 and in 1945. [1]
The court was equipped with one table and six chairs. The king (or raja), chief of the court of justice, sat in a chair bearing the symbols of a lion. The priest (Kerthas), as lawyer and adviser of the King, had the chair with the symbols of a cow. A third chair, bearing the symbols of a dragon, was for the secretary. The people who came here to receive judgment sat cross-legged on the floor. During the Dutch occupation, the Dutch Controler - officer controlling the region - would also be present for particular trials. [4]
The earlier paintings on the ceiling were made on fabric. [6] In 1930 the pavilion was restaured and the paintings redone on plaster. [1]
In 1960 the entire ceiling at Kertha Gosa was replaced and new paintings were made, still depicting the story of Bhima Swarga but adding greater detail. In 1982 eight panels were replaced.
The ceiling of Kertha Gosa is painted in a traditional Balinese style that resembles wayang (puppet theatre). Paintings in the wayang style are related closely to shadow theatre art and have been faithfully preserved to reflect Bali's Hindu-Javanese heritage in its traditional iconography and content. Iconography was to represent living things through pictures and shadows because it was prohibited to represent any living entity. [1]
The upper panels depict scenes from a section of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, called Bhima Swarga story. Some of the lower panels show scenes from the Tantri narrative ; others illustrate the story of the bird-god Garuda in his quest for the water of immortality. Other lower panels show the earthquake calendar, with scenes predicting the portents of earthquakes (Palindon). [7]
It is not known whether the Bhima Swarga was painted at the time Kertha Gosa was built. The earliest, and only, record of paintings at Kertha Gosa dates from 1842 and is written in a lontara (a book that holds prayers, the history of Bali, and epics).[ citation needed ] Also it is not known whether the paintings were a permanent feature of the pavilion or if they were a temporary decoration for a celebration.[ citation needed ]
All of the characters in the story of Bhima Swarga have a symbolic meaning relating to color and whether the characters are kasar or halus. Kasar characters, like the demons, are rough and coarse. They have big eyes, noses, and mouths. The hand positioning of the kasar characters is upward.[ citation needed ]
Halus characters, in contrast, are refined and flowing, recognized by delicate hands and fingers. They have small eyes, noses, mouths with thin lips and uniform teeth, and almost no facial hair. Their heads and faces are pointed downward. Bhima, his siblings, and Kunti are all halus characters. One of Bhima's most important features, assigned only to him, is his right thumb which ends in a long curved nail as his weapon; this is a magical implication.[ citation needed ]
The angle of the head and body attitude of the characters are also important. For example, human heads and bodies are always in a straight-on position, but kasal characters are represented with eyes and noses at an angle.[ citation needed ]
In the paintings, social standing is portrayed by the hierarchical position of the characters, the size of their body, and the side on which they are placed (left or right of the scene). Siwa, Heaven's most prominent god, is shown as larger and more intimidating than any other god. Similarly, Bhima dominates the other humans in the story. Bhima's servants Twalen and Mredah usually appear side by side, with Mredah, Twalen's son, placed a little below his father.[ citation needed ]
Age and social class also play a role in the placement of the five Pandawa brothers. Bhima's power is strictly physical, so his body must be unhindered and ready for battle. Bhima wears a black-and-white-checked sarong that, in Bali, is believed to have magic protective qualities. In Heaven, battle scenes are not bloody, and Bhima is usually in the center of the war panels. His body is much smaller than in hell, showing his diminished importance in comparison to the gods.[ citation needed ]
The Bhima Swarga painting is a moral epic, depicting wisdom and perseverance, and the ultimate victory of virtue over vice. It is said, “He who with fervid devotion listens to a recitation of the Mahabharata attains to high success in consequence of the merit that becomes his through understanding even a very small portion thereof. All the sins of that man who recites or listens to this history with devotion are washed off.”[ citation needed ]
Gamelan is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. The most common instruments used are metallophones and a set of hand-drums called kendang, which keep the beat. The kemanak, a banana-shaped idiophone, and the gangsa, another metallophone, are also commonly used gamelan instruments on Bali. Other notable instruments include xylophones, bamboo flutes, a bowed string instrument called a rebab, and a zither-like instrument called a siter, used in Javanese gamelan. Additionally, vocalists may be featured, being referred to as sindhen for females or gerong for males.
Ghatotkacha is a prominent character in the story of Mahabharata. His name comes from the fact that his head was hairless (utkacha) and shaped like a ghatam, or a pot. Ghatotkacha was the son of the Pandava Bhima and the demoness Hidimbi, and thus a half-human, half-demon hybrid.
Wayang, also known as wajang, is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. Wayang refers to the entire dramatic show. Sometimes the leather puppet itself is referred to as wayang. Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a gamelan orchestra in Java, and by gender wayang in Bali. The dramatic stories depict mythologies, such as episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as well as local adaptations of cultural legends. Traditionally, a wayang is played out in a ritualized midnight-to-dawn show by a dalang, an artist and spiritual leader; people watch the show from both sides of the screen.
Wayang wong, also known as wayang orang, is a type of classical Javanese and Balinese dance theatrical performance with themes taken from episodes of the Ramayāna or Mahabharāta. Performances are stylised, reflecting Javanese court culture:
Wayang wong dance drama in the central Javanese Kraton of Yogyakarta represents the epitome of Javanese aesthetic unity. It is total theatre involving dance, drama, music, visual arts, language, and literature. A highly cultured sense of formality permeates every aspect of its presentation.
Klungkung Regency is the smallest regency (kabupaten) in the island province of Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 315 km2 and had a population at the 2010 Census of 170,543 which increased to 206,925 at the Census of 2020; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 214,012. The administrative centre for the regency is in the town of Semarapura.
Wayang style is a style of puppetry influenced by the Indonesian wayang kulit, in which human figures and those that are supernatural are depicted as flat and very two-dimensional - hence the name wayang, meaning "shadow"). This style was commonly used in East Java during the Majapahit Empire, which lasted from about 1293 AD to around 1500 AD.
The Klungkung Palace, officially Puri Agung Semarapura, is a historical building complex situated in Semarapura, the capital of the Klungkung Regency (kabupaten) on Bali, Indonesia.
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Dewa Agung or Deva Agung was the title of the kings of Klungkung, the foremost in rank among the nine kingdoms of Bali, Indonesia. It was also borne by other high-ranking members of the dynasty. The term Dewa means "god" and was also a general title for members of the Ksatria caste. Agung translates as "high" or "great". Literally, the title therefore means Great God.
The Dutch conquest of Klungkung, Bali in 1908 marked the final phase of Dutch colonial control over the island of Bali in Indonesia. It was the seventh and last military intervention in Bali, following the Dutch invasion of South (1906).
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Kamasan is a village on Bali, Indonesia. It is reknown for a style of painting named after it and has a cultural importance on a Bali-wide level.
Balinese architecture is a vernacular architecture tradition of Balinese people that inhabits the volcanic island of Bali, Indonesia. Balinese architecture is a centuries-old architectural tradition influenced by Balinese culture developed from Hindu influences through ancient Javanese intermediary, as well as pre-Hindu elements of native Balinese architecture.
Mangku Muriati is a traditional-style Balinese painter and priestess from Kamasan village near Klungkung, Bali, Indonesia.
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The cash coins of Indonesia was a historical currency in Indonesia based on Chinese imperial coinage during the Tang dynasty era. It was introduced by the Chinese traders, but did not become popular in Indonesia until Singhasari defeated the Mongol empire in 13th century. Chinese cash coins continued to circulate in Indonesian archipelago for centuries; when the Ming dynasty banned trade with the region, many local rulers started creating their own imitations of Chinese cash coins which were often thinner and of inferior quality. Cash coins produced in Indonesia were made from various materials such as copper-alloys, lead, and most commonly tin.
