Klungkung Palace or Puri Agung Semarapura is a historical building complex

     

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The Klungkung Palace, officially Puri Agung Semarapura, is a historical building complex situated in Semarapura, the capital of the Klungkung Regency (kabupaten) on Bali

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

Entrance

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

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 since 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

Although he did not have the prerogatives of his Gelgel forbears, 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 in several blocks with various ritual and practical functions

The complex displayed a deep symbolism according to a fixed structural pattern

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 spelt Kertha Gosa or Kertha Ghosa, the hall of justice, was erected in the north-eastern 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 which 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, 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

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 1990

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

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 ( rc 1722-1736) allied with the influential king of Mengwi and performed an expedition to Java together with him

After his death 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

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

In 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