Kerta Gosa, Klungkung - Bali

Kerta Gosa is a beautiful historical site situated in the heart of Semarapura Town, about 40km east side of Denpasar City. The name of Kerta Gosa is taken from Sanskrit, where Kerta means serene and meanwhile Gosa world is derive from Gosita that mean established or announced. Thus the meaning of Kerta Gosa is a kind of Bale building where the King announces Judicial Legislation, justice punishment and so on. Beside of Kerta Gosa, there is a building called by Taman Gili which is located adjacent to Bale Kembang that is a traditional building floating in the center of fish pound. 

Kerta Gosa and Taman Gili building can not be separated with the establishment of Semarapura Palace. The Semarapura Palace is established by I Dewa Agung Djambe, The first king of Klungkung around 1686. The painting that decorate Kerta Gosa ceiling are the painting with the story motif like Ni Diah Tantri, Bima Swarga, Garuda and Palelindon those are arranged in form of panels with 9 levels. The paintings are begun from the east panel with the story in the direction of circumambulation  (turning to the right as clockwise) and finish at the north panel. 

The history of Kerta Gosa is founded in 18 century and it has a lot of changed in 20 century. These building

have been renovated after earthquake that brought much destroy in year 1971. The most unique of this building is the ceiling made from the asbestos material fully decorated by the traditional painting with Kamasan style famous in 1930. 30 years later in 1960, Pan Semaris Putra from Pan Seken has restored and renewed according to the original style. During the Dutch colonization (1908-1942), Kerta Gosa is still used as a court to persecute the violators especially criminal. In line with the colonial administration, The Indonesian law has changed from the legal system Majapahit heritage (traditional) into the continental law system which is brought by the Dutch. The change of the system are not means to retaliation, but improve the perpetrator to be accepted back into their society. By this concept, the word of Penjara (Jail) has changed into :Lembaga Permasyarakatan (LP). The ceiling of Taman Gili building that is fully decorated by the traditional painting to persuade the violators to not repeat the offense (recidivism) because the Hindu Society in Bali have heard the story of Bima Swarga that has been visualized on this building. Realized and believed, beside of the prison sentence they got, it has been waiting for the punishment of the hereafter is more terrible and feared in form of fire prosecution by Cikabakala. Hopefully after the seeing these visuals, the violators realize against the crime resulted in suffering, hence it can prevent the recidivism. Bima Swarga is excerpt from Mahabharata Epic that share the experience of Bima, one of princess from Panca Pandawa, when searching the spirit of his father in the afterlife is saying tortures.