The best time to visit Klungkung
is every three days on the Balinese day known as pasah, when the
Klungkung Market is in full swing. The market nestles behind a
row of shops to the east of the Kerta Gosa, and although it has
lost some of its old atmosphere as a result of being re-housed
in a new, multi-storied concrete structure, it offers a full range
of local delights, including handmade house wares, baskets, fruits,
flowers, vegetables and the like.
For those interested in souvenirs, the row of art shops on the
main road in front of the market is well known to antique collectors.
The astute old women who own them have been in business since
the 1930s, although age is now thinning their ranks. They all
complain, however, that nowadays they can only occasionally find
the sort of valuable items, which used to routinely fill their
shops.
West of the town
To the west of the town of Klungkung, bordering on Gianyar regency
is the fertile district known as Banjar Angkan, separated from
Klungkung by a spectacular ravine. This once served as a buffer
zone between the two frequently warring kingdoms, and changed
hands many times during the 18th and 19th centuries. Partly as
a result, Banjar Angkan has developed its own unique identity
quite apart from the rest of the region.
One of the objects of these frequent wars was the important temple
of Pura Kentel Gumi, "the Temple of the Congealing Earth"
- located on a bend in the main road west of Klungkung. The name
of this temple indicates that it was a focal point around which
the mystical and political forces of the former kingdoms moved.
Northwest of Klungkung are the villages of Tiingan and Aan. Tiingan
is most famous as the village of gamelan smiths or pande gong,
which have been famous throughout Bali for centuries. Aan is best
known as the home of a learned high priest, Pedanda Aan, who advises
people on the proper procedures for Bali's most important rituals.
Between Banjar Angkan and Klungkung lies the village of Takmung,
which also has many interesting temples, and is known, as a center
for the Resi Bhujangga sect, who is priestly worshippers of Wisnu.
Bali's original capital
The old court center of Gelgel is situated 5 km south of Klungkung
town and actually comprises a number of distinct villages, notably
Tojan and Kamasan. The entire area is filled with ancient and
legendary sites from Bali's "Golden Age" - the 16th
and 17th centuries - and this is the area to which all Balinese
nobility and just about everyone else on the island trace their
ancestry.
The most important site lies at the very heart of Gelgel - the
sacred Pura Jero Agung or "Great Palace Temple," which
stands on the site of the former Gelgel palace. The temple is
the ancestral shrine of the old palace, which was abandoned in
the 17th century following a rebellion. Adjacent to it is the
Pura Jero Kapal, all that remains of the second largest palace
in Gelgel that of the Lord of Kapal.
To the east of the Pura Jero Agung is ancient temple, the Pura
Dasar or "base temple." This is the lowland counterpart
Besakih, providing a direct connection with the sacred "mother
temple" up on Mt Agung. |
