THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bali and Lombok - page 247

Destinations Denpasar (1hr 30min); Gianyar (20min); Singaraja (2hr 15min).
Banks and exchange There are ATMs near the Trimurti statue on Jl Nusantara.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Bangli Inn Jl Rambutan 1 0366 91518. The best place to stay in Bangli; basic but clean
rooms with attached cold-water bathroo ms built around a small two-storey courtyard. In a
modern building just east of the market. Rp100,000
Markets In the evening, there's a small but lively night market with several food stalls just
south of the Trimurti statue. During the day, the street market south of the Trimurti statue has
several food stalls.
< Back to East Bali
Semarapura and around
Famous as a centre of classical Balinese art, Klungkung's district capital, SEMARAPURA
(also frequently referred to as KLUNGKUNG ), makes an enjoyable day out. The highlight
is the rare painted ceiling of the Kerta Gosa pavilion inside the Taman Gili palace gardens.
It overlooks the main crossroads marked by the Kanda Pat Sari statue, guarding the four car-
dinal directions. The lively market opposite is also a fun browse and there's more classical
art on the outskirts: in the village of Kamasan , home to modern-day artists working in the
wayang style, and at the Nyoman Gunarsa Museum , which houses Bali's best collection of
historic Kamasan art.
Semarapura became a centre of the arts towards the end of the seventeenth century, when
Bali's Majapahit rulers relocated here from their court at Gelgel, 4km to the south (Gelgel
was believed to have fallen under a curse). The political power of the Majapahits was by then
on the wane, with breakaway kingdoms such as Gianyar rising to prominence, but their soph-
isticated artistic and literary culture endured, its greatest legacy being the classical paintings
that adorn the Kerta Gosa in Semarapura's palace grounds. The court remained at Semarapura
until the early twentieth century and was one of the last two strongholds against the Dutch
invasion. Rather than submit to the colonial power, on April 28, 1908, Semarapura's dewa
agung (king) led two hundred members of his family and court in the traditional puputan
(ritual suicide), marching into the line of fire. A monument opposite the Taman Gili com-
memorates this.