Klungkung Palace

Last updated
Bale Kambang of Klungkung Palace Klungkung-Palace-1.jpg
Bale Kambang of Klungkung Palace

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.

Contents

The palace (puri) was erected at the end of the 17th century, but largely destroyed during the Dutch colonial conquest in 1908. Today the basic remains of the palace are the court of justice, the Kertha Gosa Pavilion, and the main gate that bears the date Saka 1622 (AD 1700). Within the old palace compound is also a floating pavilion, the Bale Kembang. The descendants of the rajas that once ruled Klungkung today live in Puri Agung, a residence to the west of the old palace, which was built after 1929. [1]

The origins of the palace

The assembly hall at the palace, 1930's COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Gebouwtje voor samenkomsten in Kloenkoeng Bali TMnr 60018433.jpg
The assembly hall at the palace, 1930's

The Klungkung kingdom was considered to be the highest and most important of the nine kingdoms of Bali from the late 17th century to 1908. It was the heir of the old Gelgel kingdom, which had dominated the island for a long but had broken up in the late 17th century. In 1686 (or, in another version, 1710), Dewa Agung Jambe I, a prince descending from the old Rajas of Gelgel, moved to Klungkung (also known as Semarapura) and built a new palace or puri. [2] Although he did not have the prerogatives of his Gelgel forebears, the new palace maintained a degree of prestige and precedence on the politically fragmented island. The palace was built in square form, being roughly 150 meters on each side with the main gate to the north. It was divided into several blocks with various ritual and practical functions. The complex displayed a deep symbolism according to a fixed structural pattern. [3]

The Kerta Gosa

The city was known at that time for its arts, painting, dance, and music. At the end of the 18th century, the Kerta Gosa Pavilion, also spelled Kertha Gosa or Kertha Ghosa, the Hall of Justice, was erected in the northeastern corner of the palace compound. It typified the Klungkung style of architecture and painting. Because the Kerta Gosa was the court of the high king of Bali, cases on the island that could not be resolved were transferred to this site. Three Brahmana priests presided over the court. The convicts (as well as visitors today) were able to view the ceiling which depicted different punishments in the afterlife, and the results of karma, while they were awaiting sentencing. The ceiling paintings of the Kerta Gosa are one of the outstanding examples of the Kamasan (or Wayang) style. [4] The paintings were probably originally done in the middle of the nineteenth century, and renewed in 1918, 1933, and 1963, with individual panels repaired in the 1980s and 1990s. Leading artists of Kamasan village such as Kaki Rambut, Pan Seken, Mangku Mura, and Nyoman Mandra have been responsible for the repaintings in the twentieth century. The main paintings depict the story of Bima in heaven and hell, but other stories depicted are the Tantri, the Garuda story, and scenes predicting the portents of earthquakes (Palindon).

Early history

The descendants of the first king, Dewa Agung Jambe (r. 1686-c. 1722), ruled under varying fortunes for more than two centuries. They were always known by the title Dewa Agung. Dewa Agung Gede alias Surawirya (r. c. 1722-1736) allied with the influential king of Mengwi and performed an expedition to Java together with him. [5] After he died in 1736, internal fighting broke out between his two sons Dewa Agung Gede (Jr.) and Dewa Agung Made. The former called in help from the Karangasem kingdom but was defeated. [6] The victor Dewa Agung Made was succeeded by a mentally ill son, Dewa Agung Sakti (r. before 1769-end of 18th century). His wife fled to Karangasem where her son Dewa Agung Putra I was brought up. At about the end of the 18th century, his Karangasem helpers established him on the throne of Klungkung. Dewa Agung Putra I appears to have been a strong leader but fell in a minor war in Bangli in 1809. He left a son, Dewa Agung Putra II (r. 1814-1850), and a daughter and co-regent, Dewa Agung Istri Kanya. [7]

A meeting between the Rajas of Klungkung (right) and Karangasem (left), the image created before 1864. Klungkung Karangasem pre 1864.jpg
A meeting between the Rajas of Klungkung (right) and Karangasem (left), the image created before 1864.

The Dutch interference

Together with the other Balinese rajas, Dewa Agung Putra II signed a contract with the Dutch colonial authorities in 1843, but the varying interpretations of the contract soon caused friction. This was the background to the three Dutch military expeditions in 1846, 1848, and 1849. The last of these expeditions invaded Klungkung territory. The enterprising queen Dewa Agung Istri Kanya fought the Dutch to a standstill, and this was followed by a general reconciliation between the Balinese rajas and the Dutch authorities. [8] In the following decades, the kingdom was led by a grandson of Dewa Agung Sakti, Dewa Agung Putra III (r. 1851-1903 ). He was an activist leader who intervened in the affairs of the other south Balinese kingdoms, which were still only nominally attached to the Dutch East Indies. In 1885 he imprisoned the Raja of Gianyar, and in 1891 he was heavily responsible for the destruction of the Mengwi kingdom. After 1900 Dutch presence made itself increasingly felt in south Bali. In this situation, Dewa Agung Putra III died and was succeeded by his son Dewa Agung Jambe II (r. 1903-1908 ). He took a defiant attitude against the encroaching colonialism. [9]

The fall of Klungkung

One of the gates to the palace Bale Kambang Gateway, Bali 1549.jpg
One of the gates to the palace

The alleged plundering of the stranded ship Sri Kumala in 1904, led to a renewed Dutch military foray in 1906. The colonial troops captured Badung after a suicidal attack on the invaders, a so-called puputan ("finishing"). Two years later, in a similar manner, an incident in nearby Gelgel triggered a punitive colonial expedition to Klungkung (see Dutch intervention in Bali (1908)). The local Balinese elite chose to make a last stand against the Dutch. Dewa Agung Jambe II, the members of his dynasty and their retainers sallied forth from the palace and engaged in a puputan. The fight, which took place on 18 April 1908, proceeded until the death of the last of the combatants, which included women and children. Those not killed by Dutch bullets were finished off by other members of the royal group. [10]

After the puputan, the surviving members of the royal family were exiled, and the palace was largely razed to the ground. In 1929 the family was allowed to return and settled in the newly built Puri Agung. Today, the history of Klungkung, and the puputan, are commemorated in a museum close to the remains of the palace. To the north of the palace, a monument has been erected to the memory of the puputan incident.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Raja</i> Monarch or princely ruler in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia

Raja is a royal Sanskrit title used for Indian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klungkung Regency</span> Regency of Indonesia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kertha Gosa Pavilion</span>

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 early 18th century by Dewa Agung Gusti Sideman. Kertha Gosa means - "the place where the king meets with his ministries to discuss questions of justice".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puputan</span> Balinese term for a mass ritual suicide in preference to facing the humiliation of surrender

Puputan is a Balinese term for a mass ritual suicide in preference to facing the humiliation of surrender. It originally seems to have meant a last desperate attack against a numerically superior enemy. Notable puputans in the history of Bali occurred in 1906 and 1908, when the Balinese were being subjugated by the Dutch.

Gelgel is a village (desa) in the regency (kabupaten) of Klungkung, on Bali, Indonesia. The village, near the coast four kilometers south of the regency capital Semarapura, contains some structures of cultural interest and is known for its pottery and handwoven ceremonial songket cloth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewa Agung</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch intervention in Bali (1908)</span>

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch intervention in Bali (1906)</span>

The Dutch conquest of South Bali in 1906 was a Dutch military intervention in Bali as part of the Dutch colonial conquest of the Indonesian islands, killing an estimated 1,000 people. It was part of the final takeover of the Netherlands East-Indies. The campaign led to the deaths of the Balinese rulers of Badung and Tabanan kingdoms, their wives and children and followers. This conquest weakened the remaining independent kingdoms of Klungkung and Bangli, leading to their invasion two years later. It was the sixth Dutch military intervention in Bali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Bali</span>

The History of Bali covers a period from the Paleolithic to the present, and is characterized by migrations of people and cultures from other parts of Asia. In the 16th century, the history of Bali started to be marked by Western influence with the arrival of Europeans, to become, after a long and difficult colonial period under the Dutch, an example of the preservation of traditional cultures and a key tourist destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babad Dalem</span>

Babad Dalem is a historical account from Bali, Indonesia, which exists in a large number of versions of varying length. The title may be translated as "Chronicle of Kings", although the Balinese babad genre does not quite accord to Western-style chronicles. There are dated manuscripts from the early 19th century onwards, and the original version was very likely written in the course of the 18th century. The author was probably a Brahmin tied to the Klungkung Palace, the most prestigious of the nine pre-colonial royal seats of Bali.

Dalem was a title for the kings of Bali who resided in Samprangan and Gelgel and were descended from the founder-raja Sri Aji Kresna Kepakisan. These kings ruled the island, or at least substantial parts thereof, from maybe the 14th century to the second half of the 17th century. The title literally means "inside", and alludes to his ritual-symbolic role inside the palace (puri). The title is first found in a Dutch report from 1619, which says that the Radia Dalam was the paramount ruler of 33 lesser Balinese lords. The title is used in the chronicle Babad Dalem from the 18th century, which recounts the history of the kings of Bali up the end of the 17th century. After the fall of the Gelgel kingdom in 1686, a daughter kingdom was established in nearby Klungkung. However, the rulers of the Klungkung Palace were usually known by another title, Dewa Agung. In the literature, Dewa Agung is sometimes, although anachronistically, used also for the pre-1686 kings of Bali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalem Ketut</span>

Dalem Ketut was a king (Dalem) of Bali who ruled at an uncertain time during the age of the Javanese Majapahit Empire. While first a vassal ruler under the Majapahit kings, he later emerged as the king of a separate island realm. He was also known under the names Sri Smara Kepakisan or Tegal Besung. Dewa Tegal Besung is the earliest deified ruler who is honoured at the Pura Padharman Dalem Gelgel, the most important shrine at the central Balinese temple Pura Besakih.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalem Bekung</span> 16th century king of Bali

Dalem Bekung, also known as Pamayun, was a king of Bali who is traditionally dated in the second half of the 16th century. He belonged to a dynasty of kings who were descended from Majapahit on Java, and reigned from their palace (puri) in Gelgel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalem Seganing</span> King of Bali (1550–1632)

Dalem Segening was a king of Bali who reigned in the first half of the 17th century, his exact dating being still uncertain. He belonged to a dynasty which originated from Majapahit on Java, and ruled from the palace (puri) of Gelgel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalem Di Made</span> 17th-century King of Bali

Dalem Di Made was a king of Bali who may have reigned in the period 1623–1642. He belonged to a dynasty that claimed descent from the Majapahit Empire of Java, and kept residence in Gelgel, close to Bali's south coast.

Anglurah Agung, also known as Gusti Agung Di Made or Gusti Agung Maruti, was a king of Gelgel, the paramount kingdom on Bali, who ruled at a time when the political unity of the island began to break down. This process led to the permanent division of Bali into several minor kingdoms by the late 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch intervention in Bali (1849)</span>

The Dutch intervention in Bali in 1849 was a major Dutch military intervention in Northern and Southern Bali, following two failed interventions, the 1846 intervention and the 1848 intervention. The Dutch used as a pretext Balinese salvage claims over shipwrecks, which were customary to the Balinese, but unacceptable under International law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semarapura</span> Place in Bali, Indonesia

Semarapura is a town that serves as the administrative capital of the Klungkung Regency in Bali, Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bali Kingdom</span> Series of kingdoms in Bali, Indonesia

The Kingdomship of Bali was a series of Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms that once ruled some parts of the volcanic island of Bali, in Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. With a history of native Balinese kingship spanning from the early 10th to early 20th centuries, Balinese kingdoms demonstrated sophisticated Balinese court culture where native elements of spirit and ancestral reverence combined with Hindu influences—adopted from India through ancient Java intermediary—flourished, enriched and shaped Balinese culture.

References

  1. Adrian Vickers, 'Sights of Klungkung; Bali's most illustrious kingdom', in Eric Oey (ed.), Bali, Island of the Gods. Singapore: Periplus 1990, pp. 166-7.
  2. Angela Hobart et al.,The People of Bali. Oxford: Blackwell 2001, pp. 42-4; Adrian Vickers, Bali, a Paradise Created. Singapore: Periplus 1989, pp. 56-8.
  3. C. Geertz,Negara; The Theatre State in Nineteenth-Century Bali. Princeton: Princeton University Press 1980, pp. 110-3. This book provides a layout map of the Klungkung Palace as it was in c. 1905, just before the Dutch conquest (p. 110).
  4. Idanna Pucci, Bhima Swarga; The Balinese Journey of the Soul. Boston etc.: Bulfinch Press, pp. 14-8.
  5. H. Creese (1991), 'Sri Surawirya, Dewa Agung of Klungkung (r. c. 1722-1736); The historical context for dating the kakawin Parthayana' ,Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land-en Volkenkunde147-4, pp. 402-19.
  6. I Wayan Warna et al. (1986), Babad Dalem; Teks dan terjemahan. Denpasar: Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Propinsi Daerah Tingkat I Bali, pp. 115-7.
  7. Adrian Vickers,Bali, A Paradise Created. Singapore: Periplus 1989, p. 66.
  8. WA Hanna (2004), Bali chronicles. Singapore: Periplus, pp. 82-3, 94-9.
  9. WA Hanna, idem, pp. 139-43.
  10. M. Wiener (1995),Visible and invisible realms; Power, magic and colonial conquest in Bali. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Further reading

8°32′8″S115°24′12″E / 8.53556°S 115.40333°E / -8.53556; 115.40333