Bali74 The royal palace Karangasem

1. The royal palace PuriAgungKarangasem

2. 74 Bali

3. PuriAgungKarangasem was built by AnakAgungGedeJelantik, the last Raja of Karangasem Kingdom. In this lovely palace you can see the combination of three different architecture styles. On the carving of Hindu's statues and the relief on the wall of the building display Balinese architecture, while Chinese architecture can be found on the window, the door and other ornaments. European influence is seen on the main building and its large veranda. Their harmonically coexistence provides peaceful setting of this royal complex. PuriAgungKarangasem, home of the royal family of Karangasem, covers three palaces built by the last Raja in the early 20th century: PuriAgung, Taman Ujung, Taman Tirtagannga (he built TirtaGangga water palace as a rest place, where he laid out a series of pools decorated with unusual statuary)

6. The multi-tiered entry gate

7. Dvarapala the door or gate guardians

9. Outside the orderly Puri Agung Karangasem there are beautifully sculpted panels and an impressive multi-tiered entry gate King’s in Bali had to control or harness the natural and supernatural elements of the world through all possible symbolic means: through having vast palaces which acted as centres of power, through initiating and preserving laws which came from the gods, and through holding vast rituals in which everyone in the state could be involved. This kind of personal contact and participation involving king and subjects formed an emotional and religious bond between the two that made the state work.

10. During the Dutch conflict at the turn of the century, the raja of Karangasem cooperated with the European army and was allowed to retain his title and autocratic powers. The palace is a 20th century eclectic creation of designs from Europe, China and Bali. The king’s palace is located at the centre of the city, a huge walled area consisting of grand buildings in numerous separate courtyards. The main building with a large veranda is known as the Maskerdam (Amsterdam), because it was built as a gift by the Dutch as a reward for the Karangasem kingdom’s acquiescence to Dutch rule.

11. Maskerdam

12. Maskerdam

13. Maskerdam doors details

14. Maskerdam doors details

15. Maskerdam doors details

16. Maskerdam doors details

17. Inside Maskeradam several rooms, including the royal bedroom and a living room with furniture that was a gift from the Dutch royal family

18. Besides the king, the most important inhabitant of the palace was first wife, whose importance was greater even than the powerful chief minister. Such a queen was deliberately chosen as first wife of the king from among many subsidiary or lesser wives. Balinese kings needed a large number of wives to ensure that there would be at least one surviving male heir to carry on the dynasty, but also to show that their power extended over the whole kingdom, for the women taken into the court were not only from aristocracy, but were the sisters and daughters of important leaders on all levels of society. The Maskerdam faces the ornately decorated Bale Pemandesan, which was used for royal tooth-filing ceremonies (one of the ceremonies that a Balinese must undergo when they come of age)

19. Bale Pemandesan, which was used for royal tooth-filing ceremonies

20. Heliconia rostrata – Lobster claw

21. Maskerdam door

22. Members of the royal family still live here

24. Bali Desert rose (Adenium Obesum)

25. Bali Desert rose (Adenium Obesum) Balinese call this flower as Jepun Jepang. This is a member of the same botanical family as Frangipani. It grows in sunny area. The flower’s shape like trumpet and has color range from pink to crimson.

29. Bale Kambang, floating pavilion used to serve as royal family meeting place, dining hall for royal guests, art and dance performance stage, and a place for religious-traditional ceremony for royal family

30. Bale Kambang, still used for family meetings and for dance practice

31. The pavilion display of musical instruments

32. Bougainvillea

33. Bale Pemandesan, which was used for royal tooth-filing ceremonies

35. Bale Pemandesan and Bale Kambang

36. In front of the main gate, the open courtyard is sheltered by a huge banyan tree

37. Design by the roots of the huge banyan tree

42. Penjor the altar at the bottom, near the street is the dragons mouth multi-tiered entry gate

43. Penjor The Penjor symbolises a mythical dragon and Mount Ajung, where the dragon lives (Mt. Agung, Bali’s highest mountain is considered the guardian of Bali and source of all its prosperity). The long bamboo pole is the dragon’s tail, and the altar at the bottom, near the street, the dragons mouth, which is duly fed with all sorts of goodies on ceremony day

44. Text: Internet Pictures: Sanda Foişoreanu & Internet All  copyrights  belong to their  respective owners Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda https://ma-planete.com/michaelasanda 2014 Sound: Sanghyang Dedari