Description of the attraction
Mayura Water Palace is located in the heart of business life in the Kakranager district. Its strategic location and historical significance make it popular with tourists, both local and foreign. During the time when the Balinese princes ruled here, Mayura was the administrative and political center of the island of Lombok. This quiet location is the exact opposite of the bustling main street of Kakranagera and is a fine example of traditional Balinese architecture.
The palace was built in 1744 for the Balinese royal court, is located around a large square pool, surrounded by a garden and surrounded by a low stone wall, decorated with intricate carvings with images of animals. The location of the palace pool is intended to highlight the beauty of the park. In its center there is a pavilion open on one side, which can be accessed through a specially built bridge. In the old days there was a court with a conference room. The original structure is called Bale Kambang (in the local language means "small islands"), its location in the middle of the basin resembles a small island in the ocean. This pavilion is a bit like the other one located in Klungkung, Bali, but much smaller and less richly decorated. These floating pavilions are said to have been created in case of persecution during the Dutch colonial era. A peacock sculpture and statues of residents of Western Asia also rise above the water surface. They were installed as a token of the king's gratitude to his friend the ruler of Pakistan for his proposal to get rid of the snakes with the help of peacocks. The palace complex contains many mangosteen trees that provide cool shade in the park.
The word "Mayura" is of Sanskrit origin and means "peacock". They say that during the reign of King Anak Agung Ngura Karangasem, many snakes lived in the palace garden, which created a lot of inconvenience, and the king decided to ask for help from his best friend, the ruler of Pakistan, in the fight against them. So peacocks appeared in the garden.
In 1894, as the Balinese and Dutch colonialists fought for control of Lombok, the Mayura Water Palace was the site of some of the fiercest fighting. The Dutch army set up camp near the palace, which was a serious strategic miscalculation: the Balinese, armed with guns, shot from the walls of the palace all the enemy army. Several old Dutch cannons and Balinese statues still bear the memory of those events.
A stone's throw from the Mayura Palace is the largest Balinese temple. It was erected in 1720 and is still used by Hindu believers for religious holidays every full moon and on special occasions. One of the most important ceremonies is the celebration of the full moon of Prunam Kimpat, the fourth month of the Balinese calendar. The shrine is open to tourists, but visitors must wear a sarong. According to the park's keepers, his spirit dwells in this particular temple.
