K e r t a G o s a

Klungkung as a former kingdom have many cultural heritages which are become tourist attraction. One of that is Taman Gili Kerta Gosa. Kerta Gosa is a part of building complex in Semarapura palace. It built in 1686 by Ida I Dewa Agung Jambe the first King of Klungkung Palace.

Kerta Gosa consisted of two buildings (bale): Bale Akerta Gosa and Bale Kambang.
This building is called Bale Kambang because it surrounding by the pond called Taman Gili.
The Kerta Gosa and Bale Kambang uniqueness is the ceiling of these buildings are decorated with the traditional painting of Kamasan style (a village in Klungkung) or the style of the puppet that very popular in the Bali community.
Initially, the painting that decorate the building ceiling was made from cloth. Since 1930, the cloth is replaced and made above plasterboard, then it restored in accordance with his original picture and still intact untill now.
As the cultural heritage of the Semarapura Palace, Kerta Gosa and Bale Kambang were functioned as the place to try the case and the place of the religious ceremony such as mepandes especially for the sons and daughters of the king.

The function from these two buildings are related to the function of education which are explained through puppet paintings in the building ceiling.
These paintings are the series from a story that take the main theme of Swargarokanaparwa and Bima story that give the guidance for punishment of karma phala (resulting from action good and bad points that were carried out by humankind all his life) as well as the incarnation returned to the world because of the action and human sins.
Psychologically, the themes of the painting that decorate the Kerta Gosa building ceiling contain the values of mental and spiritual education. The painting is divided into six stratified rows.

The lowest row depicted the theme that came from the Tantri story. The second row from beneath depicted the theme from the Bimaswarga story in Swargarakanaparwa. The further row had the theme of the Bagawan Kasyapa story.
The fourth row took the Palalindon theme that is the characteristics or the meaning and of the occurrence of the earthquake mythologically.
The continuation story that was taken from the Bimaswarga theme was described to the fifth row that the location already almost to the cone of the building ceiling. At the last row or the sixst row is placed with a picture about god and goddeses life. Beside that, on the ceiling of Kerta Gosa, the painting of puppet also decorating the west side of Kerta Gosa building wich is called Bale Kembang. The Ramayana and Sutasoma Story is taken as the theme of the puppet paiting in the ceiling of Bale Kembang building.

The taking of the theme Yanga came from kakawin, this gave a guidance that the function of the Bale Kambang building is the place to carry out the Manusa Yadnya religious ceremony for example: Potong Gigi Ceremony (cut the teeth ceremony) for prince and princes in Klungkung Palace.
The attraction of Kerta Gosa beside the traditional painting of Kamasan style in Bale Kerta Gosa and Bale Kambang, the other importance inheritance that still located around it and could not be separated from the aspect of the historical value is Pemedal Agung (the main gate/the gateway).
Pemedal Agung is located on the west side of Kerta Gosa that really describing the inheritance value of the palace culture.
On the Pemedal Agung is contained also the traditional Balinese value of architecture art.
This gateway had functioned as the supporting mechanism of the holder authority (Dewa Agung) in Klungkung for more than 200 years (1686-1908).

The war against the Dutch military expedition was known as Puputan Klungkung during April 28, 1908, the holder of the last throne of the Dewa Agung Jambe and his follower are fell. (The recorder of this incident is currently immortalised in the Klungkung Monument that located across Kerta Gosa).
After this defeat, the core building of the Semarapura Palace (jeroan) is destroyed and made as the settlement of the local people.
Highest ruins that still remaining are Kerta Gosa and Bale Kambang with its Gili Garden and the Gateway of the Palace that evidently became a very interesting object both from tourism and culture point of view especially from its historic study.
In the war incident against the Dutch military expedition that was known as the Klungkung bellows incident on April 28 1908, the holder of the last throne of the Great God Jambe and the his follower died.

Kerta Gosa evidently also had been made function as the court's convention hall during the colonial Dutch bureaucracy in Klungkung (1908-1942) and since being lifted the official to become the royal district head in Klungkung (Ida I the Great God of the Klungkung Country) during 1929.
Moreover,the former of court's equipment such as the seat and the wood table wich are carved and the paint with gold paint still existance.
The objects are the inheritance of the institution of traditional of Klungkung in the colonial period (1908-1942) and the period of the Japanese occupation (1043-1945).
During 1930, restoration had been done to the puppet painting in Kerta Gosa and Bale Kambang by the panting artists from Kamasan.
Restoration of the last painting was carried out during 1960.