The Royal line of Buleleng, Singaraja is descended from the Son of Dalem Sagening, the King of Gelgel, Klungkung named Ki Gusti Anglurah Pandji Sakti. Pandji Sakti, it is recorded left from Klungkung to establish a new Kingdom in Den Bukit, Buleleng, North Bali. On reaching the peak of the Mountain range, he was thirsty and so he plunged his magic kris into the ground and front that spot flowed water. Water still flows from this spring today and makes life possible at the top of the mountain range. A temple was built at this place and is called Toya or Tirta Ketipat. You will pass it by on the way to Denpasar from Singaraja via Bedugul / Lake Beratan.

Ki Gusti Anglurah Panji Sakti eventually settled in the village of Panji around 5 kms South West of Singaraja. When he had finally succeeded in uniting Den Bukit (now Buleleng, North Bali) he became the King of Den Bukit. Then he built two other Puri (palaces) namely Sukasada, 2 kms South of Singaraja. Singaraja as the third Puri built on March 30th, 1604 became the beginning of the Kingdom of Buleleng and Singaraja, the capital town of the regency of Buleleng. Singaraja was chosen by the Dutch as the easiest place to make their first incursion onto Balinese Soil. This they did by brute force in the mid 19th century (1846-1849). The palace / puri was destroyed and the family mostly deposed or annihilated at the final stand in the town of Jagaraga around 15 kms east of Singaraja.

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Part 2

On I Gusti Ngurah Rai’s life Gianyar (state East of Denpasar) became a special place for him. It is not just because Gianyar was his first place to learn about military drill but this was also a place where he met his true love. Desak Putu Kari, a dancer, was the one who had stolen Rai’s heart at the first sight. She is an orphan from Gianyar. Gusti Ngurah Rai asked for the hand of her when she was at the age of thirteen. One day Rai appeared suddenly at 11 pm in her room and ran her away. When Kari’s family looked for her Rai asked her to go to the barracks while he talked about his willing to get married with Desak Putu Kari. But based on Kari’s demand, they got married after the cremation ceremony (ngaben) of Kari’s parents.

I Gusti Ngurah Rai. www.baliprov.go.id
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Part 1

I Gusti Ngurah Rai bestowed the National Hero award due to his sacrifice towards his nation, Indonesia, in the battle of Margarana against the Dutch. He was killed in the battle on 20th November in 1946 with his Ciung Wanara troop which included 95 soldiers. His name is immortalized as the name of the International Airport in Bali, name of street, campus, and sport centre to commemorate him.

Red: Gusti Ngurah Rai, Blue: Dr. Anak Agung Made Djelantik, 1931, from flickr.com/photos/wibisono/

I Gusti Ngurah Rai was born on Wednesday, wuku (seven-day week in the Balinese 210-day calendar — one traditional year consists of 30 wukus) Kelawu, 30th January 1917, in Carangsari Village, ± 24 km to the north from Denpasar. His father’s name is I Gusti Ngurah Patjung, was a Manca (head of the sub-district) and his mother is I Gusti Ayu Kompyang. His childhood name was I Gusti Ngurah Gejor (shake) because a great earthquake was going on when he was born and then changed into Ngurah Rai in his school period.

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A well-written story of Anak Agung Made Djelantik features The Jakarta Post, here is the full sotry:

Kadek Krishna Adidharma, Contributor, Ubud, Bali

Born a Balinese prince at the time of Dutch occupation, Anak Agung Made Djelantik (1919-2007) became a genuine Renaissance man who lived through the great changes that shaped our modern world today. His observations of those times and the arts of Bali are his gift to future generations.

After a life in service to the health of the world, Anak Agung Made Djelantik passed away on the eve of Sept. 5, 2007, at the age of 88. As a specialist in tropical diseases, he worked for many years with the World Health Organization to combat Malaria in Africa, the Middle East and throughout Indonesia. He was the first Balinese Director of Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar. It is his contribution to arts and culture, however, that is being honored here today.

At the late doctor’s simple one-day kingsan ring geni (bequeathal to fire) ceremony at the ancient palace of Karangasem, A. A. Gede Rai of Yayasan Walter Spies Bali and Horst Jordt of Walter Spies Society Germany decided to dedicate a permanent exhibition in a special room at the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA). It is fitting that the Dr. Djelantik Room will be located next to a room dedicated to his favorite German painter, Walter Spies (1895-1942).

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When you visit Klungkung regency (State East of Denpasar) you have to visit its Museum – Museum Semarajaya — to know a little about the History of Klungkung. Museum Semarajaya is located in Semarapura City – the city of Klungkung — next to the tourist destination Kertha Gosa/Taman Gili (Old Court-Hall/Floating Hall). Whether you want it or not you have to enter Kertha Gosa first before going to the museum due to one entrance only is opened for these two areas. The ticket is very cheap, @Rp 5000,- for adults and @Rp 2000,- for children. Why it is cheap, because it will not be able to help the government to maintain those historic inheritances. But the good point is the local people will not feel difficult to pay for the entrance if they take their family members there. It means they will know and learn more about their ancestor history.

flickr.com/photos/tanenhaus/

That area is divided into three parts, the museum on the West, Taman Gili (Floating Hall) on the South, and Kertha Gosa (Old Court-Hall) on the North. There are wayang (consist of Hindu’s figures and stories) pictures at the ceiling of the Old Court-Hall which tell about the life after the death. There is also a big exit called Pamedalan Agung, it is said when a Dutch Soldier climbed and was at the top of Pamedalan Agung he saw a different place below not the ordinary one.

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Last weeek I read a book which is entitled “ The Last Gentleman of War” which gives accounts on daring actions of German cruiser Emden in World War I combined with gallant and honorable conduct of her captain, Karl Friedrich Max von Müller. What impress me much are not the daring actions of the cruisers but the humane and honorable treatments that were given by Captain Müller and his crew to their prisoners of war (PoW). A question arose in my mind “how Balinese treat their PoW?”

I did a hasty research to find some information on how Balinese treat their PoW, my research was not in vain, I found some information in the public library, some good, some bad, but mostly interesting. It surprised that Balinese treat their PoW especially their fellow Balinese in a cruel way. They sold their Balinese PoW to foreign merchants as slaves (before the slave trade was abolished), served as slaves to winning party or assigned to hard labor. However, the fate of European PoW was much better. Here is an account on Balinese treatment on their European PoW given by Gregor Krause in his book Bali 1912.

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