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Taman Gili - The Balinese Royal High Court

The Bale Kambang (right) meeting hall and the Kerta Gosa (left), used as the royal high court.

The Taman Gili, which translates to "moated garden", is all that remains of the Klungkung royal palace. The palace was built in the 18th century, but most of it was destroyed in 1908 when the Dutch conquered Bali.

Two pavilions occupy most of the garden. The larger structure sits in a small pond or moat, and is called Bale Kambang ("floating pavilion"). The smaller pavilion is known as the Kerta Gosa and was used for the royal court of justice, where disputes that could not be settled by village headmen were brought.

Both open-air pavilions have finely painted ceilings depicting scenes from the Indian Mahabharata epic and Balinese myths. The current paintings were done in the 1940s to replace cloth panels that had deteriorated.

Also in the Taman Gili compound is the Museum Daerah Semarajaya, displaying objects from the Klungkung dynasties and accounts of the 1908 ritual suicide (puputan) of the royal family.