Klungkung Regency

Klungkung Regency

Klungkung is the smallest regency (kabupaten) of Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 315 km2 and population of approximately 180,000 (2013). Its regency seat is Semarapura.

Klungkung town is easily reached from Gianyar via the highway. The regency is famous for its classic Balinese paintings which mostly depict the story of the epics like Mahabharata or Ramayana. These classical style paintings come from the frescoes of the Balinese Palaces, and can also be found at Klungkung Palace in the downtown area. Semarajaya Museum is also located in the area.

Some 60% of the land area of Klungkung is made of the three offshore islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Lembongan, which together form Nusa Penida District.

Administration.

The regency is divided into four districts (kecamatan), listed below with their 2010 Census populations:

• Banjarangkan 37,115
• Dawan 33,177
• Klungkung 55,141
• Nusa Penida 45,110

Tourism Objects.

This regency has some populars tourism object such as ; 

The Klungkung Palace, 

Also called Puri Agung Semarapura, is a historical building complex situated in Semarapura. 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. 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 Kerta Gosa, 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 1990s. 

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 (Palindon)

Pura Goa Lawah " Bat Cave Temple" 

Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida