Ancient Court and Bali's
Best Dalangs
Conveniently located midway between mountain slopes and the sea
on the main road north of Denpasar on the way to Ubud, Sukawati
is a modest town of few tourist attractions as such, yet it is
rich in cultural traditions and offers much for the interested
visitor.
At one time, Sukawati stood with Mungkung as one of the two great
negara or kingdoms of Bali. From Tegallalang to Ubud to Singapadu,
topeng mask dancers still interpreted the history of the old realm
of Sukawati before rapt audiences. Here the arts have remained
vital, thanks to royal patronage and commissions from other parts
of the island.
'My heart's delight'
Early in the 18th century the Sukawati region, formerly known
as Timbul, came under the influence of an evil sorcerer, Ki Balian
Batur. His enemies all became violently ill due to his powerful
black magig. Seeking to pacify Timbul, the raja of Mengui Angelurah
Agung, sought help from I Dewa, Agung Anom - son of the raja of
Klungkung. Together they defeated the sorcerer with magic weapons
brought from the court of Klungkung. Ki Balian Batur is still
remembered today in the name of the nearby village of Rangkan,
which means "place of the evil man." As a token of his
gratitude, the raja' invited I Dewa Agung Anom to build a palace
and live there.
I Dewa Agung Anom dreamed of creating an ideal kingdom based on
the example of Majapahit in East Java. From klungkung he brought
attractive men and women who were talented in the arts and representive
of the important lineages. Once in Timbul, they built the Pura
Penataran Agung as a centrl shrine and the Puri Goro Gak as a
residence for I Dewa Agung Anom and his family.
Lavishly embellished with carvings, the beauty of the great Pura
was enhanced through the addition of fabulous gardens and pools.
Every night, the sensuous sounds of the gamelan were heard wafting
from an enormous bale pavilion covered wit gold leaf. The marvels
of Timbul invariably caused visitors to exclaim "sukahatine"
which means my heart's delight" and gradually the town became
known as Sukawati.
Popularly known as Dalem Sukawati the first raja, I Dewa Agung
Anom, enjoyed a long reign. Eventually wearying of political life,
he retired to meditate in Petemon, near Bedulu. Meanwhile his
sons grew fond of gambling and broke up a magic kris belong to
the palace to be made into spurs for fighting cocks. Dalem Sukawati,
despairing of his sons' inability to rule, declared that upon
his death whichever son would dare to take the deceased Dalem's
tongue into his mounth would inherit the kingdom.
Following the Dalem's death, his corpse became so swollen and
repulsive that his soils were unwilling to perform the odious
chore. This fell to a relative, the raja of Gianyar. Miraculously,
when the raja took the hideously protruding tongue into his mouth,
the corpse shrank to normal size and emitted a wonderful perfume.
This failure of the soils, however, together with the loss of
the protective kris, caused the heirs of Dalem Sukawati to be
defeated in war by Gianyar, and subsequently the palace was abandoned.
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