A few days ago, I joined a palace tour in Bali called, called Puri Peliatan or Peliatan Palace. This important kingdom which played important role in developing Bali’s art and culture began in the 17th century.
I walked passed the gate into the palace compound with other travelers. Our tour guide, who was also somebody from the palace, greeted us at the first courtyard.
Then the tour guide directed our attention to a relief or sculpture in a wall inside the second yard. The picture show 11 kings who have ruled in this kingdom.
A story about King number three was very interesting because his brother killed him and became king himself! This king number four loved gambling and wars with other kingdoms.
The last king is also an interesting person. He was eccentric. He loved the arts. He brought many musicians, dancers, and performers to his kingdom. The palace became a place for these artists to show off and hone their skills.
The tour guide then lead us to the next yard. The palace has three parts: outer yard, middle yard, and inner yard. The king's family lives in the inner part. We entered the next courtyard from one of the door of the tall gate. There were few pavilions inside. Each is home of different royal family member.
The tour guide told me that 60 families live in different houses inside the palace. A lady named Ibu Jero, who was part of the royal family, greeted us as we walked around the palace.
Then he took us inside where we saw living areas of royal family members. There were beautiful Balinese buildings with amazing sculptures and carvings made from wood. They were decorated with gold and red colors on ceilings and pillars.
Most building walls had gold and red too. We also saw statues of creatures that looked like they came from stories or dreams - some had heads like birds but four legs!
Many buildings had carved sandstones as decorations too. In between all these wonderful places was a special spot just for high priests who blessed everyone there.
The time came for us to sit down with the prince. He welcomed us warmly and we had dinner together. It was special because our country is now a republic, so we don't have kings anymore. But the royal family still gain respects from the people.
The prince was very friendly. He was a science teacher at a high school nearby. He told us about his girlfriend, who is also from the royal family, and that they plan to get married soon.
We enjoyed talking with him and watching Balinese dances at the palace afterward.
These dancers showed us how talented people in this area are. Well, I myself could not dance 🤣🤣🤣. Not only did travelers watched the performance but local people too joined to enjoy the dances.