Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Puri Agung Karangasem
Jl Sultan Agung • Daily 8am-5pm • Rp10,000
Built during the Dutch period at the end of the nineteenth century by the raja of Karangasem,
Anak Agung Gede Jelantik,
Puri Agung Karangasem
is still home to descendants of the
royal family and offers a rare chance to see a partially renovated palace home. Areas open to
the public include the elegantly airy
Maskerdam
guesthouse, with its beautiful doors carved
with three-dimensional reliefs of birds, animals and foliage. It was used for greeting VIP
guests; inside there are a few pieces of period furniture and a gallery of historic photographs.
Elsewhere in the compact but artfully tranquil gardens is the
Bale Kambang
(Floating Pavil-
ion), encircled by a lotus pond, which is for meetings, dancing and dining. Wander around
the compound, via the edges of the current family quarters, for views down over the rest of
the town and across to Lombok - at one time under Karangasem rule. The peaks of Gunung
Agung and Gunung Lempuyang frame the vista.
Taman Soeka Sada (Ujung Water Palace)
5km south of Amlapura • Daily 7am-7pm • Rp20,000
In a rural location 5km south of central Amlapura stands the largest of the three extravagant
water palaces conceived by the last raja of Karangasem, Anak Agung Anglurah.
Taman
Soeka Sada
, also known as the
Ujung Water Palace
, dates from 1921 but was all but des-
troyed by the 1963 eruption of Gunung Agung. Renovations have re-created the stately tran-
quillity of its ponds, floating pavilions, ornamental bridges and pagodas, but the concrete re-
lief carvings and statuary are not as impressive as the originals at Taman Gili in Tirtagangga.
Nonetheless it's a serene spot, served by
bemos
from Amlapura, and worth a visit if you're
en route to
Amed
via the scenic coastal route.
