Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the south of the island was still battling the Dutch. As the Dutch strengthened their hold, the
administrative importance of the north grew, and when the colonial power combined Bali and
Lombok into one regency in 1882, Singaraja was established as the
capital
. During World
War II, the invading
Japanese
also made their headquarters here, but Independence saw the
Balinese capital move south to Denpasar.
Gedong Kirtya
Jl Veteran 20 • Mon-Thurs 8am-3.30pm, Fri 9am-12.30pm • Donation expected •
0362 22645 • Blue Sukas-
ada-Penarukan bemos pass the entrance
Singaraja's best-known attraction is the esoteric
Gedong Kirtya
, the world's only library of
lontar manuscripts
. It holds over six thousand of these manuscripts - the text is written
on
lontar
palm leaves and bound between wooden boards - covering Balinese religion, cus-
toms, philosophy, folklore, medicine, astrology and black magic. Such is the humidity, the
books only last fifty to a hundred years, so decaying manuscripts are transcribed onto new
lontar
leaves, ensuring this ancient art survives. It's an inordinately lengthy process; leaves
are soaked then boiled and pressed over many days before the precise, painstaking work of
engraving the text can begin - it only becomes visible when rubbed with lamp black, the
sooty residue from oil lanterns. The library also conserves
prasasti
, inscribed
bronze plates
from the tenth century, which are among the oldest written records on Bali. It's a scholarly
place, but visitors are welcome; a member of the library staff will show you round.
Museum Buleleng
Jl Veteran 23 • Mon-Fri 8am-3pm • Donation welcome • 0362 21141
The same compound as the Gedong Kirtya - that of the palace of
Puri Agung Singaraja
-
holds the
Museum Buleleng
. It's hard to get excited about its five rooms of local history;
the 1930s typewriter formerly owned by Anak Agung Panji Tisna (1908-78), the
last Raja
of Buleleng
, portraits of Buleleng heroes, including the kingdom's founding father,
Gusti
Ngurah Panji Sakti
(see
Brief history
)
or local Stone Age tools and Bronze Age jewellery
are hardly gripping. Moderately more interesting are the eighth-century Buddhist items found
in Kalibukbuk in Lovina, which bear testament to north Bali's trading history.
Puri Agung Singaraja
Jl Veteran 23 • In theory Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, but often closed • Entry by donation
Behind the Museum Buleleng are the residential quarters of
Puri Agung Singaraja
, also
known as Puri Gede Buleleng, the restored palace of the former royal family of Buleleng.
Displays summarize the lives of previous rulers, in particular that of Anak Agung Panji Tisna
(1908-78), the
last Raja of Buleleng
, founder of Lovina.
Pasar Anyar
Jl Diponegoro • Daily 6am-late afternoon
