Palace of Klungkung

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Klungkung Palace (2008)

The Palace of Klungkung is a historic building complex in Semarapura ( Klungkung ), the capital of the Kingdom of Klungkung ( kabupaten ) in Bali , Indonesia . The palace ( puri ) was built towards the end of the 17th century, but largely destroyed during the Dutch conquest in 1908 and colonial times. Today the remains of the palace, named Kertha Gosa Pavilion, serve as the court seat; the main gate is dated "Saka 1622" (AD 1700). Within the palace complex there is also a floating pavilion, the Bale Kambing, which was built in the 1940s. The descendants of the Raja who ruled earlier live in the Puri Agung Palace, a residence to the west of the old palace, which was built after 1929.

The origins of the palace

The Kingdom of Klungkung was considered the largest and most important of the nine kingdoms in Bali between the late 17th century and 1908. It was the legacy of the ancient Gelgel kingdom , which had long ruled the island but collapsed in the 17th century. In 1686 (or, according to another version, 1710) Dewa Agung Jambe I, a prince from the Gelgel royal nobility , went to Klungkung (also known as Semarapura ) and built a new palace ("Puri"). Although he did not have the privileges of his Gelgel ancestors, the new palace retained a certain degree of prestige and supremacy on the politically fragmented island. The palace was built in a square shape, about 150 meters on each side, with the main entrance to the north. It was divided into different blocks with different ritual and practical functions. The complex showed a deep symbolism according to a fixed structural pattern.

Kerta Gosa

Ceiling painting in the Palace of Klungkung (2011)

The city was known for its art, painting, dance and music at the time. At the end of the 18th century, the Kerta Gosa Pavilion , the Hall of Justice, was built in the northeast corner of the palace complex. This hall was typical of the Klungkung architecture and painting style. Kerta Gosa was respected as the Supreme Court of Justice in Bali, and judicial cases that could not be resolved elsewhere ended up here. Three Brahmin priests presided over the court and were known for their harsh and inhuman sayings. The spectators (like the visitors today) could see the ceiling paintings on which the various punishments intended for them were painted. The paintings of the Kerta Gosa Palace are outstanding examples of the Kamasan (or Wayang ) style.

Early history

The descendants of the first king, Dewa Agung Jambe (ruled 1686–1722) ruled with varying degrees of luck for more than two centuries. They were always known as Dewa Agung . Dewa Agung Gede alias Surawirya (r. 1722–1736) teamed up with the influential king of Mengwi ; they carried out a joint expedition to Java . After his death in 1736, internal fighting broke out between his two sons Dewa Agung Gede (Jr.) and Dewa Agung Made. The former sought help from the Karangasem Kingdom , but was defeated. The winner Dewa Agung Made was followed by a mentally ill son, Dewa Agung Sakti (ruled before 1769 - end of the 18th century). His wife fled to Karangasem, where their son Dewa Agung Putra I was raised. Towards the end of the 18th century, his helpers from Karangasem installed him on the throne of Klungkung. Dewa Agung Putra I seems to have been a strong ruler, but he fell in a minor battle 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.

The Dutch influence

Together with the other Rajas in Bali, Dewa Agung Putra II signed a contract with the Dutch colonial administration in 1843, but the various interpretations of the treaty soon created friction. This was the background for three Dutch military expeditions in 1846, 1848 and 1849. The last of these expeditions invaded the territory of Klungkung. Queen Dewa Agung Istri Kanya fought for an armistice against the Dutch: This led to a general reflection between the Rajas of Bali and the Dutch colonial authorities. In the following decades the kingdom was ruled by a grandson of Dewa Agung Sakti, Dewa Agung Putra III (r. 1851–1903). He was an active ruler who interfered in the affairs of other southern kingdoms in Bali that were only nominally attached to the Dutch East Indies. In 1885 he incarcerated the Raja of Gianyar , and in 1891 he was chiefly responsible for the destruction of the Kingdom of Mengwi . After 1900, Dutch supremacy became more noticeable in the south of Bali. In this situation Dewa Agung Putra III died; his son Dewa Agung Jambe II succeeded him (ruled 1903-1908). He took a defensive stance against the spreading colonial administration.

The downfall of Klungkung

Several events, especially the looting of the stranded ship Sri Kumala in 1904, led to renewed military action by the Dutch in 1906. The colonial troops took Badung after a puputan ("End of the Old World"), a suicide attack against the attackers. Two years later, a similar event led to a punishment expedition against Klungkung. The local Balinese elite voted for one final uprising against the Netherlands . Dewa Agung Jambe II, the members of his family dynasty and their followers withdrew from the palace and went into a mass suicide, a puputan, fighting against the superior Dutch armed forces. The fight, which took place on April 18, 1908, continued until the death of the last fighters, which also included women and children.

After the puputan, the surviving members of the royal family were exiled; the palace was largely razed to the ground. In 1929 the family was allowed to return, they settled in the newly built palace (puri) Agung. Nowadays a museum near the former palace commemorates the history of Klungkung and the Puputan. A memorial to the memory of the event was erected in the north of the palace.

Web links

Commons : Palast von Klungkung  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • R. Pringle (2004), A short history of Bali; Indonesia's Hindu realm . Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
  • H. Schulte Nordholt (1996), The spell of power; A history of Balinese Politics, 1650-1940 . Leiden: KITLV Press.
  • Ida Bagus Sidemen et al. (1983), Sejarah Klungkung . Klungkung: Pemerintah Kabupaten Daerah Tingkat II Klungkung.

swell

  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 Theater 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 (c. 1722-1736); The historical context for dating the Kakawin Parthayana ', Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land-en Volkenkunde 147-4, 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.

Coordinates: 8 ° 32 ′ 8 ″  S , 115 ° 24 ′ 12 ″  O