Peliatan Royal Palace

Peliatan Palace

The art village of Ubud has always amazed visitors with its rich natural and cultural heritage.

Home to Balinese aristocratic families, Ubud is proud of having several puri, or palaces, where traditional art performances, cultural attractions and rituals take center stage.

One of these palaces is Puri Peliatan, with its grand Balinese architectural design, located just 4 kilometers from the heart of Ubud village.

A local guard, Cokorda Oka Wirajaya, who is also a member of the royal family, said the palace was open to everyone who wanted to see the life behind the palace gates.

“Here, tourists are permitted to take a look inside the palace and witness the original splendors of the building, which is used by the heir for his daily activities,” said Wirajaya, who is fourth generation in Puri Peliatan’s family lineage.

Cokorda Gde Putra Nindia is currently the penglingsir (heir) in charge of the palace.

The elaborately designed building was constructed in 1769 on a 3.4-hectare plot of land. Adopting the traditional Balinese architectural concepts based on deep philosophical and spatial division, the palace is divided into Tri Mandala — three spatial functions.

The palace’s buildings remain unmodified from the original design, which Wirajaya said was the palace’s identity.

The first part is the ancak saji area, or the front or outer yard, which you enter after passing through the front gates. In this area stand several constructions, such as the bale tegeh (high-level pavilion) in the southern corner, pewaregan (dining area), bale gong (music hall), bale pesamuan (meeting hall) and pendopo (the pavilion).

Having passed through the front yard, you enter the jaba tengah, the intermediate or middle zone. However, if you want to visit here, you are obliged to use traditional Balinese clothes appropriate for daily rituals or special events out of respect for the royal family.

The jaba tengah is where the royal family lives. There are at least three compounds within this area, namely the west, central and east houses.

In total, there are 78 households in the palace’s family tree, but only 69 of them live inside Puri Peliatan. The others are spread across other locations in Ubud.

“There are 12 houses inside the palace area, as we can see from the number of angkul-angkul [gates]. This is the one of the characteristics of this palace,” Wirajaya explained.

Having finished roaming inside the palace, visitors are taken back to the ancak saji area to enjoy coffee or tea and a treat of Balinese traditional snacks. A group of children from the royal family will also entertain you with Balinese dances.