Wedged between the more prominent Gianyar and
Karangasem regencies, Bali's smallest regency has long served as a highway for
visitors, with many simply passing through unaware of the gems to be discovered
here. This is Klungkung, a regency whose size and prominence today do not do
its history justice.
Klungkung was, in fact, the center of Bali's arts and
customs in the 16th century, and it played an important part in solidifying the
Balinese culture that we witness today. To truly understand the significance of
this regency, a little look into history is required: the story begins with the
development of the Majapahit Empire of Java, a history fatefully interwoven
with Bali.
·
A Brief History of
Klungkung
·
Kerta Gosa
Pavilion: Remnants of Royalty
·
Kamasan Painters
of Klungkung
·
The Midas Touch
·
Musical Craftsmen
of Tihingan Village
·
Salt Makers of
Klungkung
A Brief History of
Klungkung
When the Javanese kingdom acquired control of Bali in
1343, a vassal state was established in the Gianyar district of Samprangan,
with Javanese lord Sri Aji Kresna Kepakisan as its ruler. After leaving power
to his eldest son, an inept ruler, control was rapidly transferred to his
youngest brother, Ketut Dalem. The Puri (Balinese court) was relocated to
Gegel, a district within Klungkung. Ketut Dalem governed the Gegel Kingdom from
here, governing most of Bali until the mid-17th century, giving Klungkung
prestige and importance.
As a 'sister country' of the Majapahit Empire, the
Kingdom of Gegel also became a cultural center of Bali, as royal courts
typically do. Bali adopted many of the political and cultural influences of its
Javanese monarchs, including dancing, architecture, painting, sculpting, and,
most famously, the wayang shadow puppet theatre. As a result, several guilds of
musicians, painters, and craftsmen established themselves near the Puri,
obediently serving their king and courts when summoned.
The Gegel Kingdom disintegrated in the 17th century,
and in 1686, a new Puri was created in Semarapura (today the capital of
Klungkung). At this point, Bali had been divided into nine kingdoms, which are
represented by the regencies we see today, but Klungkung remained the most
revered of all, having inherited the respect of its Gegel ancestors. When the
Dutch conquered the island in 1908, the power of the Balinese kingdoms was all
but destroyed, but the influence of the Gegel and Klungkung Kingdoms on
Balinese culture lingers on, and relics of the old arts and crafts can still be
found in this culturally rich regency.
Kerta Gosa
Pavilion : The Remnants of Royalty
The last remnants of the Klungkung Kingdom's palace,
known as Puri Agung Semarapura, are the most tactile and visible memory of the
kingdom. This single complex is located in the heart of Semarapura, where its
regal walls stand incongruously near a busy city intersection, as if guarding
against modernity itself.
Two historic buildings from the past are housed in the
compound, which represents classical Balinese architecture. The most important
is Taman Gili Kerta Gosa, the old hall of justice or the high king's court. A
single table lies in the center of this raised pavilion, with three chairs on
either side for the judges (usually Brahmin priests) and three chairs for the
assessors. While the antique hardwood table and chairs are valued possessions,
the centuries-old murals on the hall's ceiling steal the show.
The pavilion's ceiling is adorned with stunning panels
of genuine Kamasan style paintings; this was a style brought to Bali by the
Majapahit Kingdom and became the primary form of visual art. The characters are
almost identical to those found ‘on stage,' replete with the trademark
two-dimensional composition, and the aesthetic is drawn from the wayang shadow
puppet theatre. These Kamasan paintings, like the wayang displays of the past,
are narratives that relate the stories of Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and
the Mahabharata, as well as Balinese folktales. Because these stories
frequently contain a moral lesson or a philosophical message, kings would
commission these works of art for their palaces.
The Kerta Gosa Pavilion focuses on a single message:
karma. The Kamasan murals represent the consequences of your acts in Balinese
hell, or ‘purgatory,' on the lower reliefs. Under the tree of daggers (punyan
curiga), for example, knives will fall upon your lip if you were a liar or will
pierce your eyes if you were a peeping tom; adulterers and cheats will have
their genitals burned; corruptors will be boiled in cauldrons. Those being
judged, as well as the court, were probably regretting their acts after
experiencing the awful doom that awaits their sinful soul.
Another story is being told above these panels. It is
the epic voyage of Bhima Swarga, a story from the Mahabharata: he is one of the
five Pandawa brothers who must rescue his parents from hell (where he observes
the torment of souls) and guarantee their place in heaven. It's a narrative
about bravery, but also about justice and redemption.
The Bale Kembang, or floating pavilion, is located in
the heart of the palace compound. This enormous bale is located in the centre
of a lotus pond, hence its name, and is linked by a statue-lined bridge. More
Kamasan artwork may be found lining the ceiling in this room.
Kamasan Painters
of Klungkung
The Kamasan style is named after the village of
Kamasan, which is also located in Klungkung and is about a 5-minute drive from
Kerta Gosa. It is here that the historic painting tradition is carried on, with
the delicate skills being passed down through the generations to preserve the
art alive. They can be found in Banjar Sangging, specifically (sangging meaning
painter, decorator or tooth filer).
Originally, Kamasan artworks were created on cloth or
ulatanga, a type of tree bark paper. Aside from the distinctive wayang figures
and symbolism, the colours of the Kamasan paintings tell a story, as original
paintings were confined to natural dyes such as red, ochre, and black.
The murals that line the Kerta Gosa ceilings have been
kept and maintained for decades by Kamasan painters. Rambug, Dogol, and Pan
Seken were notable painters, followed by Nyoman Mandra, all of whom dedicated
their lives to preserving the style of Kertha Gosa. There are several art
studios to explore as you walk around the town area.
The Midas touch
Another set of craftspeople that dwell in Kamasan are
the creators of Balinese hollowed coins known as kepeng or pis bolong. The
coins are constructed of five separate elements known as Panca Datu, which
translates as "five life strengths" (iron, silver, copper, gold, and
bronze). They are frequently utilised in Balinese Hindu ceremonies, including
cremation ceremonies - ngaben or plebon – and are also donated to the Bhuta
Kala.
Another set of craftspeople that live in Kamasan are
the producers of Balinese hollowed coins known as kepeng or pis bolong. The
coins are constructed of five separate elements known as Panca Datu, which
translates to "five life strengths" (iron, silver, copper, gold, and
bronze). They are frequently utilised in Balinese Hindu ceremonies,
particularly cremation ceremonies - ngaben or plebon – and are also donated to
the Bhuta Kala.
Musical craftsmen
of Tihingan Village
The Pande Gong, literally the smiths of 'gongs,' the
inventors of Bali's traditional instrument, the gamelan, are also on the list
of Klungkung's craftsmen.
Once again, this specialized guild is concentrated in
a single location, Tihingan village in Klungung. The gamelan is made in the
homes of the villagers by both regular craftsmen and specialized professionals
(the Pande Gong) who set the tones of each instrument. A Pande Gong is an
expert music instrument craftsman, and he creates practically all of the
traditional music instruments found in Bali.
Every house workshop in Tihingan is open to the
public. You can see the craftsmen working with wood and metal, shaping the raw
materials and creating them into the final instruments before shipping them to
other parts of Bali and even beyond. A complete set of Gamelan, which typically
consists of Jegogan, Jublag, Pemada, Kantil, Reong, Tawa-tawa, and Kempur, can
take up to three months to create.
Salt Makers of
Klungkung
Another craftsman finds a home in Klungkung, despite
not being a remnant of the Majapahit kingdom. Sea salt farmers maintain an
age-old tradition on the black sand coasts of the regency's limited coastline,
in the district of Kusamba.
Balinese sea salt is one of the island's lesser-known
products. This artisanal salt is not being exported in large quantities because
it is being farmed on a small scale in a labor-intensive technique. At first
light, the farmers may be seen carrying tarp-made buckets across their
shoulders, used to transport sea water up onto the beach. They wet the volcanic
sand with layers of sea water, increasing its salinity, before filtering the
saline water out and drying it in hollowed logs along the beachfront. The
harvesting method is comparable to Agehama salt production processes used in
Japan, particularly on the Noto Peninsula.
On the island, there are relatively few Bali sea salt
growers left. Many people have long given up on a trade that pays so little for
such hard labor. If the sun is shining, the farmers can make roughly 5
kilograms of salt from dawn to dusk; each kilogram is sold for around Rp.
20.000, but only if they can sell.
Salt farming in Tejakula, northeast Bali, has modernized
and formalized, indicating that the product would continue to be available on
the market. The farmers of Kusamba encourage their children to pursue
contemporary, higher-paying jobs, implying that this generation may be the last
of traditional sea salt producers on Klungkung's shores.
Museum Nyoman Gunarsa
The Museum Nyoman Gunarsa, also known locally as the
Museum Seni Lukis Klasik (museum of classical paintings), is a popular site in
Klungkung. The museum is the private gallery of the late Balinese master Nyoman
Gunarsa. The museum, which opened in 1990, exhibits Gunarsa's artwork
collections as well as the maestro's own classical and contemporary Balinese
artworks, which include paintings, sculptures, and antique antiques. The museum
is divided into three floors. On the first floor, you'll find centuries-old
classic Kamasan paintings, the majority of which were created by unknown
artists. The works of Gunarsa can be seen on the second and third floors.