The royal palace of Ubud is one of the most important monuments of the city of the same name (located in Bali, Indonesia), one of the most visited Southeast Asian places in the world. Built in the 18th century by the Gianyar royal family, the palace still belongs to them, and for that reason it is only partially visitable.
Located in a city of legendary origin (in the 8th century, the Hindu sage Rishi MarKandeya would have traveled to Bali and built, at the confluence of the Campuhan and Wos rivers, the temple that gave rise to the city) and important past, the palace has been the epicenter of interesting historical episodes, such as the surrender to the Dutch that saved the rajah and his subjects from a possible puputan (mass ritual suicide) - fate that most of the royal families of the island-.
Modern art reference
In the 30s, thanks to the mediation of the German painter, musician and ethnographer Walter Spies, and the patronage of the Royal Family of Ubud, the palace became the scene of the reinvention of Balinese arts, giving rise to the school (pictorial and sculptural) of Ubud (initiator of “modern” Balinese art), as well as the Pita Maha artistic association. It would also be the Rajah of Ubud who ordered the construction of the first tourist accommodation for guests, at a time when the world of transoceanic travel was just beginning to flourish.
Although the central decades of the century (with the Japanese occupation, the civil war, the anti-communist purge of 1965, etc.) were not entirely rosy for the palace, it has recovered its splendor thanks to the rise of tourism, becoming an unmissable destination in Ubud, a place that has achieved great dissemination and renown thanks to its appearance in the novel and film “Eat, Pray, Love”.
Today, its visit is free, although in the evening different Balinese dance shows (legong, kebyar, baris), music (gamelan) and theater (calon arang) are performed there.
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Artistic and cultural center
