A brief history of the founding of the Karangasem kingdom was in the 16th to 17th centuries, Karangasem was under the authority of the Gelgel Kingdom, with its king I Dewa Karangamla domiciled in Selagumi (Balepunduk).
I Dewa Karangamla married the widow I Gusti Arya Batanjeruk, the royal governor who carried out a rebellion and was killed in Bungaya Village, on the condition that after his second marriage, the son of the widow of Batanjeruk would become the ruler. This condition was agreed to and then the family of I Dewa Karangamla moved from Selagumi to Batuaya. I Dewa Karangamla also has another son from his wife named I Dewa Gde Batuaya. This surrender of power to the son of the widow of Batanjeruk marks the beginning of the founding of the Kingdom of Karangasem held by the Batanjeruk Dynasty. With the long history of the founding of the Karangasem work, many stories can be picked up by tourists.
The main attraction of Puri Agung is its architectural grandeur which is a blend of Balinese, Chinese and European architecture. Puri Agung consists of 3 (three) parts of the area. The front or entrance is called “bencingah”, a place where traditional art performances are held, while the sides on the right and left are designated as a place to receive guests.
The middle part is called “middle jaba” which is used as a garden, where in this place there are 2 lychee trees that are very old. And part of the area functions as the main building site called “maskdam” which adapted the name of the City of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, because its construction was carried out when Raja Karangasem established friendly relations with the Dutch royal government. This building is used as a royal palace. Another building behind the mask called “London” was used as a residence for the royal family. Giving such names is based because the City of London in England is close to the City of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, so the names were adapted into castle buildings.
In front of the Maskdam Palace there is a “Bale Pemandesan” which functions as a ceremonial place for cutting teeth or also as a temporary storage place for the bodies of the castle families until the time of the pelebon ceremony (= ngaben) is held. Near this building overlooking the pond there is a large winged lion statue. In front of Bale Pemandesan there is the “Bale Paweda” or “Bale Lunjuk” as a place where the priests perform worship and worship when religious ceremonies take place. There is also the “Bale Kambang” or Gili in the middle of the pool which serves as a meeting place for the extended family of the castle or is also used as a place to practice dancing and other arts.
Tourists who want to visit Puri Agung Karangasem can be reached by land which is about 65 km from Denpasar City, 12 km from Candidasa tourism area, 5 km to Soekasada Ujung Park, and about 6 km to Tirtagangga Park tourism object. Puri Agung Karangasem presents various forms of very unique buildings that are very well preserved for tourists who like history. Lots of history, stories and memories that can be taken by tourists who visit.
Source (http://tourism.karangasemkab.go.id/)