kerta gosha

Kerta Gosha is the ancient house of justice located in the center of Klungkung city which also known as floating pavilion. Klungkung is one of the capital of Balinese kingdom after 1550 following the retirement of Balinese famous king Dalem Waturenggong. The city of Klungkung is 47 km from Denpasar, or 62 kms from Kuta, and 76 kms from Nusa Dua area. Today with the opening of the road on the beach of south Bali until south beach of Klungkung the distance is only 1.5 hours drive from Denpasar compared to via old road that passing many towns and cities in the inner part of Bali which take normally 2.5 hours.

As mentioned above Kerta Gosha is an ancient court house of Justice belong to the kingdom of Bali. Physically it looks like a floating pavilion on one of the roof of the pavilion is painted with strange pictures. The pictures depict the punishment of wrong doers in the heaven. For example if a man during his life has many women or can not be single loyalty will be punished with heavy burden to hold many women until he is lay waste and become a joke of others. If a woman during her life does not wish to have child also will be punished to feed her milk to a caterpillar, and many other ethical education to the people. The interest of Kerta Gosha is not only of the traditional low of order but also the architecture and the story behind the existence of the pavilion. Klungkung became the center of Bali kingdom after the chaos of the kingdom during their center in Gelgel, a place around 3 km from current Klungkung city due to the coup d'etat by the minister of I Gusti Agung Maruti, while the Prince of the kingdom was still so young at the moment in the year of 1651. The only after the legal heirs of the kingdom getting his adultery Dewa Agung Mayun and Dewa Agung Jambe with the assistance of vassals of Badung, Buleleng, and Tabanan then I Gusti Agung Maruti was forced to withdraw from the throne. And Dewa Agung Jambe as the legal heir of the kingdom moved the capital of the kingdom to Semarapura which is known as Klungkung where he was hiding during the coup d'detat. Semarapura is known also as Smarajaya. Dewa Agung Jambe sit on the throne of Klungkung kingdom from 1710 to 1775 as the first king of Klungkung kingdom with control to all vassals in Bali.

tarting the period of Klungkung actually the friction among vassals in Bali had been started, for example Karangasem extending their influence to Buleleng, Lombok and Sumbawa, Badung and Mengwi independently extending their influence to other areas, even Buleleng and Mengwi conflicting to take power on Banyuwangi, east Java.