Klungkung Regency
Bali’s smallest regency, is also the one with the richest history. Most of Klungkung’s interest lies in its historical heritage. After the Majapahit defeated the kingdom of Bedahulu in 1343, the appointed king, Sri Kresna Kepakisan set up the first “Javanese” court of the island in the village of Samprangan, near the city of Gianyar. Following a palace struggle, the court was then transferred to Gelgel, near the present city of Klungkung. Gelgel rose to prominence under the king Waturenggong in the 16th century. By then the last traces of Hinduism were being wiped out from Java. Gelgel thus became the flag-bearer of the Hindu- Javanese court culture. Not only were its palaces laid out and built following principles elaborated in the “navel” city of Majapahit, but most of the literature known as Middle- Javanese was actually written in Gelgel, with also saw the blooming of dance, painting and other art forms inspired by Java.
Gelgel’s position toward the rest of Bali was similar to that of Majapahit’s toward Gelgel. It became the model. As Majapahit had dispatched its craftsmen, painters, architects and priests to the Javanized court of Bali, Gelgel did likewise vis-a-vis the vassal courts its noblemen were creating throughout the island. The model thus spread, eventually reaching the point where every village of Southern Bali had a mini-palace built on Gelgel’s model, performed plays from 13th century’s Java and was an independent “navel of the world”.
This process of cultural diffusion of the Javanese model reached its peak at the end of the 17th century, when a “patih”, King’s right hand, from Gelgel revolted, leading to the collapse of the unity of Bali. When the legal heir to the throne recovered his title, he rebuilt his court near Gelgel, in Klungkung, but by then power had shifted to other hands. Bali was now divided into many kingdoms, Klungkling was simply one of them as a mere “primus inter pares”. Klungkung remained fiercely independent, though, and it constantly opposed colonial infringements, until the Puputan of 1908, when the last warrior princes led their final fight to the death against the Dutch.
Klungkung is now a commercial center of 30.000 inhabitants. Klungkung’s palaces have disappeared in the puputan turmoil, except for its garden, comprising the Kerta Gosa Hall of Justice and the nearby Balai Kembang or Floating Hall. These buildings are located near the town’s main crossroads. The Kerta Gosa was a place for the administration of the kingdom’s justice by the king and his priests. It is best known for the paintings on its ceiling which illustrates the punishments meted out in hell. It is a visual compendium of Hindu philosophy. The narrative is based on Bima’s descent into hell to save the soul of his father Pandu.
Restored in the 30s, the paintings are in the classical style, inspired by the stories and iconography of the puppet show theater. The Bale Kambang is the reconstruction of an ancient monument. The teaching illustrated on its ceiling are this time of a Buddhist nature, telling the story of sacrifice of the hero Sutasoma. It contains also the popular story of Pan and Men Brayut, the couple with too many children.
Beside these monuments’ Klungkung has also many temples, Brahmin’s mansions and secondary palaces. The town also has a Moslem quarter, where live descendants of mercenaries brought by the king from a visit to Java in the 15th century. To the Northwest of the city it is possible to visit the pande smiths of Tihingan, who still make Balinese gamelan instruments in the fashion of old.
The spirit of the old tradition, though, is best preserved in Gelgel, four km to the South of the city. It is a cluster of old brick temples, villages houses, collective halls and derelict princely mansions which have escaped modern “renovation”, thus retaining much of the architectural cohesiveness. The most important monument is the Pura Jero Agung temple, which stands on the site of the former palace of Gelgel. Other temples are the Pura Dasar and the Pura Dalem Gandamayu. These temples are best visited during their festivals, as people from all over the island claim direct kinship to ancestors from Gelgel.
The adjoining village of Kamasan is an important craft center. It is famous for its “classical” wayang painters, who still carry on the art of the ancient masters of Gelgel. They make paintings similar to those found on the ceiling of the Kerta Gosa and Bale Kembang mentioned above. There is a government- sponsored school to encourage children to continue the tradition.
The village is also home to gold and silversmiths, puppeteers, dancers, in brief the whole range of craftsmen of the ancient Balinese courts. There is no museum of these arts in Kamasan nor Klungkung, but for a look at a good collection of Kamasan classical paintings, visit the Gunarsa Museum, at the cross roads to Tihingan, just before Klungkung.
From Klungkung there is a road heading North to the mother temple of Besakih, which is located in the regency of Karangasern. Just at the border between the two regencies is the famous view of Bukit Jambul. The coastal road to the East heads for Karangasern. It First crosses the beautiful Unda river before reaching Paksebali.
From Paksebali a road heads mountain-ward through amazing natural views in Sidemen and Sel at, in the regency of Karangasem. But the main road soon rejoins the shore in the village of Kusamba.
Kusamba is one of the embarkation points to the islands of Nusa Penida, Lembongan and Ceningan. It is also famous for its traditional salt works on the beach, which make for a famous sunset.
A few kilometers further East is the temple of Goa Lawah, just on the side of the road. Its name means the bat cave and it has thousand of them. The temple is also famous for encompassing the meeting point of sea and mountain (segara / gunung)” and is for that reason a place where one holds ceremonies for the dead souls, before the final enshrining m the family temple.
See the other section on the Nusa Islands.