Even if many still use the old name Klungkung, the official name of this city is today Semarapura. Most maps and signs now use the name Semarapura.
The biggest attraction here is the Taman Gili (island-garden) complex, consisting of Bale Kambang and Kerta Gosa within a large garden. In the western part of the garden is the remains of the Semara Pura palace, bombed by the Dutch in 1908.
Kerta Gosa was the supreme court of the Gelgel dynasty, where cases that could not be decided on a village level was brought to the mighty judges here. The court consisted mainly of the king himself, his highest Brahman priests and ministers. They could decide over cases like murder, conspiracy and breaches of caste rules. The punishment was normally mutations, so naturally most people wanted their cases to be decided in their own village by a counsel of elders.
Bale Kambang means the floating pavilion, it is surrounded by an artificial pond. The pavilion was built for guests of the royal family and as a place to relax for the judges. It was restored by the Dutch early in the 20th century, and by the entrance there is for some mysterious reason two statues of Dutchmen. The ceiling is covered by paintings in an unique Klungkung style.
Even if the palace and the attached buildings were destroyed in 1908 Kerta Gosa was reopened in 1909, and renovated in 1920
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. The original paintings on the wall and ceilings were replaced by new ones, painted on asbestos sheeting, in 1960. Today they are in bad condition due to the humid climate and pollution. The paintings depicts gruesome scenes of what the culprits will face after death, the accused were forced to sit on their knees and look at the paintings while the court declared the verdict.
. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)
There are some accommodation in Semarapura, but a better alternative is Padangbai a few kilometers further east.
